Heritage Explains

Graduation season is once more upon us. The long school year has come to a close, and now, in caps and gowns, the nation’s graduates gather to receive their various certifications, diplomas, and degrees, and listen to wisdom from a speaker. However, many college graduations are not the same tranquil affairs they used to be. FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, reports that attempts by students to disinvite commencement speakers over political beliefs have increased sharply over the last decade or so. To name one example, students at Morehouse School of Medicine are attempting to block the commencement speech of alumnus Congressman Rich McCormick, over his stances against DEI, abortion, and transgender surgeries among other views. Some schools, such as New York University, have switched to recorded remarks by students in lieu of an in-person speaker. At this point, the level of intolerance and intellectual coddling taking place at American universities is not a new story. It’s bad, but is there a way back? This week, the Heritage Foundation is releasing a new book: Higher Education in America: It’s Worse than you Think. I sat down with Jonathan Butcher, Acting Director of Heritage’s Center for Education Policy and one of the book’s authors, to ask whether he believes there is hope for the American university. --- Email us with thoughts, questions, or suggestions: HeritageExplains@heritage.org ---Jonathan Butcher on X: https://x.com/JM_Butcher?lang=enHigher Education in America: It's Worse Than You Think: https://a.co/d/0aMuIWzN

The tiny town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire is located just 20 miles south of the Canadian boarder. Home to an idyllic hotel known for its skiing and golfing, the town itself had a population of four. At the time of the 2020 census. But if you happen to be one of those residents, your election day experience is a bit different from most. At the stroke of midnight, you enter the polling place, set up in one of the rooms of hotel. New Hampshire law states that polls can close if all registered voter have cast ballots. And so, a few minutes later, once all have voted, the polls close. This tradition of Midnight Voting, in place since the 1960s, makes Dixville Notch the first polling place to report results in the New Hampshire primary. Midnight voting first came into existence to accommodate the schedule of railway workers, who were often unavailable to vote during normal hours. It’s an example of local officials ensuring that the vote is both fair and accessible for voters. Election Integrity is a high priority here at Heritage, and we have been very excited to welcome Election integrity expert Don Palmer to the team. I sat down with Don to talk about his thoughts leading into 2026, 2028, and beyond. ---Email us with thoughts, questions, or suggestions: HeritageExplains@heritage.org --- Follow Don Palmer on X: https://x.com/VotingGuy

Washington is abuzz with talk of the SAVE America act, a piece of legislation that is designed to secure American elections and ensure that only American citizens have the right to vote. The proposed law is experiencing a groundswell of popular support, but also opposition. To understand what makes this law consequential, I sat down with Chip Wyatt and Dan West, both ofHeritage Action for America. --- Thoughts? Questions? Email us at: heritageexplains@heritage.org. --- More from Heritage Action for America: https://heritageaction.com/ Chip Wyatt on X: https://x.com/ChipTWyatt Dan West on X: https://x.com/Dan_J_West

This audio comes from Minneapolis Minnesota earlier this week, as Anti-ICE protestors mobbed a hotel where they believed ICE agents were staying. Two federal agents were left trying to defend the building and staff as protestors smashed windows and attempted to enter. Normally, local law enforcement would be present to defuse a situation like this, but Minneapolis police were nowhere to be found. Local authorities in Minneapolis, headed by Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, seem in no hurry to turn down the rioting in their streets. In the wake of two tragic deaths of protestors impeding federal investigations, unrest has only ramped up. Here to talk about why is Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center here at the Heritage Foundation. --- Thoughts? Questions? Email us at: heritageexplains@heritage.org. --- Work on Immigration by The Heritage Foundation: https://www.heritage.org/border-security Lora Ries on X: https://x.com/lora_ries

We are surrounded by endless choices for engagement and entertainment, but feel more isolated than ever. And nowhere is that more keenly felt than in the family. What should be the central node of human society, for many, has become distant. Fathers are absent. Children feel disconnected. Fertility has fallen. Government programs have replaced providers. Mass media has replaced human connection. One thing we should all be able to agree on. It’s time to stop scrolling and look up. It’s time for a renaissance in the family. Roger Severino and his colleagues here at the Heritage Foundation want to do just that. I sat down with Roger to discuss the new special report, released by Heritage this week: Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 years. ---Email us at heritageexplains@heritage.org. ---More about the family: Heritage.org/familyHeritage Family Paper: Saving America by Saving the Family: https://www.heritage.org/family/saving-america-by-saving-the-family

As the days get shorter and shorter, and the focus turns from work to home, we enter that end-of-year frame of mind. It’s the natural time to look back on the lessons of 2025 and to look forward to 2026 and beyond. Americans intuit that this season of self-reflection is an important one to keep alive. And we at the Heritage Foundation agree. That’s why this week on Heritage Explains, I sat down with our President, Dr. Kevin Roberts, to talk about what we’ve learned from 2025 and what to look forward to in the new year. —The Kevin Roberts Show: https://www.heritage.org/the-kevin-roberts-show—Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org