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Pacific Research Institute

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Pacific Research Institute interviews various scholars on topics of the day.

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242 episodes

Andrew Stuttaford – Electric Cars: Central Planning’s Latest Vehicle

Our podcast this week is a recording of remarks by Andrew Stuttaford, editor of .  Andrew spoke at a PRI dinner in San Francisco in March on progressives’ efforts to mandate electric vehicles and the problems that lie ahead should they be successful.  Before becoming a writer and commentator, he worked in finance for nearly four decades.  In addition to and NRO, Andrew Stuttaford’s work has been published in the and

39m
Apr 01
Mike Gatto – Noir By Necessity

Our guest this week is former Assemblymember Mike Gatto, who during his tenure, chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee.  Mike Gatto was an up-and-coming lawmaker when his father was brutally murdered. To try and solve the mystery of his father’s murder, Mike journeys through the world of crime investigations, modern law enforcement in Los Angeles, and politics.  He shares his experience and insight against a backdrop of surging violent crime in cities across the state.  His father’s case is still unsolved.

48m
Mar 25
Robert Bryce and Tyson Culver - Juice, Power, Politics and the Grid

Filmmakers Robert Bryce and Tyson Culver join us to discuss their new docuseries Juice, which explores how misguided government energy policies and cronyism are threatening energy reliability and affordability.  Also, Rowena and Tim discuss why Gov. Newsom is delaying his State of the State address and the latest legislative proposal to address California's $73 billion budget deficit.

33m
Mar 18
PRI All-Star Speechwriters on the State of the Union Address

Our annual former PRI speechwriters analyze President Biden’s State of the Union Address: Senior Director of Education Lance Izumi was chief speechwriter to Gov. Deukmejian and Attorney General Ed Meese, Vice President of Marketing and Communications Tim Anaya was speechwriter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and numerous legislators and COO Rowena Itchon was a speechwriter for Gov. Pete Wilson and a researcher on President Reagan’s speechwriting staff. 

33m
Mar 12
Rea Hederman – Net-Zero Climate-Control Policies Fail Farmers and Families

Our guest this week is Rea Hederman, executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, a free market think tank based in Ohio. Its new report, “Net-Zero Climate-Control Policies Fail Farmers and Families” looks at the impact the Biden administration’s climate-control policies will have on farmers and families. Farm operating costs is estimated to increase by 34%, annual grocery bills will increase $1,330, and the cost of basic food items will increase more than 70%. We discuss with Rea Hederman how California’s farmers and families could be particularly hard hit. 

42m
Mar 05
Steve Hilton - Keynote Address: PRI Ideas in Action Conference

Our podcast guest this week is Steve Hilton, the keynote speaker at PRI’s 2024 Sacramento Ideas in Action Conference.  Steve was a top advisor to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, a contributor at Fox News, and now running “Golden Together” a group focused on new ideas to increase affordable housing in California. Steve gave a rousing talk to our audience, rallying our guests to continue the fight for limited government and free market ideas.

43m
Feb 26
Paul Tice – Race to Zero: How ESG Investing will Crater the Global Financial System

Our guest this week is Paul Tice, a Wall Street veteran and now an adjunct professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. His new book provides a detailed rebuttal to the case for sustainable investing from the perspective of a long-time Wall Street analyst, investor, and now a finance professor. He argues that sustainable investing doesn’t aim to generate high returns for investors or to further ethical goals such as saving the planet; rather, its proponents want to control of the world’s financial system in order to ensure that the allocation of capital and investments across markets is politically favorable to establishment interests.

53m
Feb 20
Jennifer Burns – Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative

Our guest this week is Stanford University historian Jennifer Burns.  Professor Burns has just published her new book “Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative.” Milton Friedman was a tremendous supporter of PRI and our work, giving lectures and attending many events. We invited Prof. Burns, who specializes in U.S. twentieth century history focusing on the state, markets, and capitalism and how these play out in policy and politics, to discuss the life of one of the greatest economists of the 20th century and his groundbreaking work.

40m
Feb 13
Steve Greenhut and Wayne Winegarden – Giving Housing Supply a Boost

Our guests this week are Steve Greenhut, director of PRI’s Free Cities Center and Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow in business and economics.  The two have joined forces to produce PRI’s latest mini book from the Free Cities Center, “Giving Housing Supply a Boost: How to Improve Affordability and Reduce Homelessness.” They discuss the policies that have made homebuilding prohibitively expensive in the state, contributing to the high cost of housing and increasing homelessness. 

48m
Feb 06
Roger Simon – American Refugee

Roger Simon wrote novels and screenplays before co-founding and becoming CEO of the pioneering blog aggregation and news and opinion website PJ Media (formerly Pajamas Media) in 2005. He’s best known for the  detective series, which have won prizes from the Mystery Writers of America and the Crime Writers of Great Britain. In his latest book, profiles people like him who got fed up with the politics, taxes, etc. in states like California and decided to move across the country to red states like Tennessee – states that they thought would be a welcome haven from their former leftist home states.  We chat with Roger about what he and others found when they reached their destination.

44m
Jan 29
Jeff Anderson – Kicking off the Election Cycle

Our guest this week is Jeff Anderson, president of the American Main Street Initiative, which publishes political and public policy research by scholars and writers.  Jeff has held many prominent positions in presidential administrations, including director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the Justice Department.  Jeff was also a professor at the Air Force Academy. We chat with Jeff about the upcoming presidential elections, his thoughts on the candidates and their prospects, and his insights on the electorate.

36m
Jan 23
The PRI All Stars Respond to Gov. Newsom’s 2024-25 Budget Plan

Listen as PRI’s All Stars – Wayne Winegarden, Lance Izumi, Sally Pipes, and Steve Smith – respond to Gov. Newsom’s much-anticipated 2024-25 state budget plan. They discuss Gov. Newsom’s much lower state budget projection and spending priorities, the budget’s impact on K-12 education, whether the Governor will suspend the controversial $25 health care minimum wage increase, and how it will affect efforts to increase public safety in California.

52m
Jan 12
The PRI All Stars - 2023 Year End Awards

PRI's All Stars - Rowena Itchon, Tim Anaya, Lance Izumi, and Kerry Jackson - are back with their choices for 2023's biggest winners and losers, in our annual tribute to the McLaughlin Group.  We hand out our choices for best and worst ideas of the year, the bummest wraps, and give our predictions for who is destined for stardom in 2024.

42m
Dec 18, 2023
Richard Samuelson – What We Can Learn About Today’s Politics from the Boston Tea Party

  Calling all history buffs, this episode is for you!  PRI board member and Hillsdale College Associate Professor of Government Richard Samuelson joins us to discuss the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the events surrounding the incident, and the lessons we can learn from the Boston Tea Party about today’s politics.  Plus, Ro and Tim discuss California’s $68 billion budget deficit and Kevin McCarthy’s retirement from Congress.

40m
Dec 12, 2023
Melissa Caen – All Things Politics

Attorney, political analyst and “Get Out the Bet” podcast co-host Melissa Caen joins us to discuss all things politics. We discuss the latest on Mayor London Breed’s re-election chances, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s global travels, the California U.S. Senate race and the race for the White House. Plus Tim and Ro discuss the 10 Freeway fire in Los Angeles.

48m
Dec 06, 2023
Ben Judge – America’s Foreign Adversaries: What would John Quincy Adams Do?

Our guest is Ben Judge, managing director of Monument Valley, a firm focused on adapting academic research for popular audiences. Ben is also the creator and executive producer of the documentary Right Makes Might: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates. We chat with Ben about his new book United and Independent: John Quincy Adams and American Foreign Policy. The father of early American foreign policy, we ask Ben whether there are lessons to be learned from Adams’ foreign policy doctrine and if they can be applied to the foreign policy challenges we face today.

28m
Dec 06, 2023
Holiday Book Gift Guide – PRI Staff

The PRI holiday book gift guide has become an annual tradition.  This year’s list has something for everyone on your gift list: politics, history, business, philosophy, mystery, horror, and good old-fashion whodunits.  Enjoy and happy holiday shopping.

20m
Nov 28, 2023
Scott Beyer – Latin America’s Urban Experience

Our guest this week is Scott Beyer, founder of the Market Urbanist, a website that reports and researches innovative free-market policy solutions to the myriad of problems many cities are facing.  Scott is the author of PRI’s new mini book: . Scott is on a three-continent tour (Latin America, Africa, and Asia) to experience first-hand what cities in developing countries are doing to improve the lives of residents and what the U.S. can learn from these communities with very little government assistance and the free market at work.

22m
Nov 20, 2023
Melissa Caen – All Things Politics

Attorney, political analyst and “Get Out the Bet” podcast co-host Melissa Caen joins us to discuss all things politics. We discuss the latest on Mayor London Breed’s re-election chances, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s global travels, the California U.S. Senate race and the race for the White House. Plus Tim and Ro discuss the 10 Freeway fire in Los Angeles.

48m
Nov 14, 2023
Elizabeth Funk – How Dignity Moves is Reimagining Scalable Solutions to Homelessness

Listen to an extended conversation between PRI’s Dr. Wayne Winegarden and Elizabeth Funk, founder and CEO of Dignity Moves, a San Francisco non-profit that is reimagining scalable solutions to homelessness through interim supportive housing.  First, Tim and Ro analyze the first few weeks of Mike Johnson’s speakership and the latest California U.S. Senate poll.

47m
Nov 07, 2023
John Lowry - Negotiation Made Simple

  Attorney, professor and master negotiator John Lowry, author of the new book "Negotiation Made Simple," joins us with advice for listeners on how to maximize your position whether you're haggling over an employment contract or the price of a new car.  He also shares his thoughts on some current negotiations generating media headlines.  Plus, Tim and Ro weigh in on Gov. Newsom's trip to China.

48m
Oct 30, 2023
Charles Kesler - Reflections on Current Contentions

This is a special recording of a recent PRI dinner in San Francisco featuring Professor Charles Kesler, the editor of the Claremont Review of Books, offering his perspective on U.S. politics and the global situation in Israel and China.  Ro and Tim also weigh in on Gov. Newsom's trip to China and Israel.

41m
Oct 24, 2023
Emily Hoeven – The Issues Facing San Francisco and California

Our guest this week is Emily Hoeven, opinion columnist at . Before coming to the she wrote CalMatters’ daily newsletter on California politics and policy and makes frequent appearances on TV, radio, podcasts, panels, and helped launch a weekly political segment on ABC 10. We chat with Emily on a variety of issues affecting San Francisco and California from homelessness, to housing affordability, to the new leadership in the Assembly and Gov. Newsom’s political prospects.

48m
Oct 16, 2023
Rowena Itchon and Tim Anaya – California New Laws on the Books

It’s that time of the year when the Governor decides which bills to sign and which to veto.  Rowena Itchon, chief operating officer at PRI and Tim Anaya, vice president of marketing and communications have a round-up discussion of the major bills -- from health care to climate change to unemployment benefits for striking workers.  In addition, they give their take on the GOP move to remove Cong. Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership, and the issues facing California’s newest Senator – Laphonza Butler.

27m
Oct 10, 2023
Wayne Winegarden - The Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Dr. Wayne Winegarden.  We discuss with Wayne his new study comparing the results of states that had very restrictive COVID-19 policies versus those that did not.  He concludes that while COVID-19 restrictions did lead to some health benefits, they were unfortunately negated by large economic and education losses.  We also discuss with Wayne the policy lessons learned should we ever experience another pandemic.

34m
Oct 02, 2023
Kerry Jackson – Climate Change and Big Oil

Our guest this week is Kerry Jackson, PRI’s senior fellow on California Reform.  Kerry has been following Gov. Newsom’s and Attorney General Bonta’s lawsuit on oil companies and its pimplications.  He also discusses SB 253, a corporate climate change disclosure bill; the federal and state push for electric busses including school buses, hydrogen cars, and “Climate Week.”

25m
Sep 25, 2023
Clark Judge – Election Preview

Our guest this week is Clark Judge, founder and managing director of the White House Writers Group and Chairman of PRI.  A former speechwriter to Pres. Ronald Reagan, Clark is a veteran of Washington politics and presidential elections.  We chat with Clark to get his insights on California politics from his national perspective and what we can expect from the upcoming election cycle.

39m
Sep 20, 2023
Steven Greenhut – End of Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Our guest this week is Steve Greenhut, director of PRI’s Free Cities Center and a veteran California journalist.  Steve recaps the legislative session with the highlights and lowlights (unfortunately for Californians, mostly lowlights). He also weighs in on the new Speaker Robert Rivas, the ever-controversial Public Safety Committee, and Gov. Newsom’s political prospects.

52m
Sep 12, 2023
Wayne Winegarden – Free Cities Index

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden who discusses his new study “The Free Cities Index.”  Many of America’s cities have been on the decline for years, while other cities have thrived and attracted more and more Americans.  Wayne examined a multitude of variables – taxes, crime, schools – and ranked the 50 largest U.S. cities in terms of livability and growth.  Not surprisingly, the states that ranked the highest have seen increasing migration, while states near the bottom have seen population declines.  Unfortunately, many of California’s largest cities are ranked near the bottom.

33m
Sep 05, 2023
Lance Izumi – Back to School

Our guest this week is Lance Izumi, senior director of education at PRI.  Lance discusses all things education – from the Supreme Court’s decision on the Harvard case on Asian American admissions discrimination, to wokism in our schools – including the new woke math in California.  Lance also highlights the results of a recent PRI survey on parents’ assessment of their local school boards.

38m
Aug 28, 2023