American Wonk

American Wonk is the signature podcast of FREOPP, the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. On the show, FREOPP President Avik Roy explores the most important national issues of our time—like the economy, health care, technology, pandemics, and the Supreme Court—with the experts and political leaders who know them best.

E70. Rep. Jim Banks on a New Vision for Health Care Reform

On today’s episode of American Wonk, Avik Roy talks to Congressman Jim Banks of Indiana, Chairman of the Republican Study Committee and author of a pathbreaking health care reform bill called the Hospital Competition Act. Should the GOP shed its big business reputation to help kitchen table voters? More on the Hospital Competition Act here. After 11 Years of Obamacare, Republicans Need to Become... Source

05-19
27:50

E69. What’s in the Biden Spending Plan?

The American Jobs Plan has been touted by Vice President Kamala Harris as the biggest jobs investment since World War II. But how exactly will we pay for $2 trillion in new spending on infrastructure, green energy, housing, and education reform? Do the benefits of increased spending outweigh the proposal’s impact on deficits and tax rates? Last week, Avik Roy held a panel discussion to dive in to... Source

05-04
01:16:13

E68. Michael Wood & the Future of the GOP

On May 1st, Texas will hold a special election to fill the seat of late U.S. Congressman Ron Wright, who passed away in February from COVID-19. The contentious, all-party election has 23 candidates vying for the seat, including Rep. Wright’s widow Susan. One of the Republican candidates, Michael Wood, joins Avik Roy, President of FREOPP, to discuss his platform and why he describes this election... Source

05-02
36:41

E67. COVID in 19: Which Countries Have Fared Best in Pandemic Response?

On today’s episode of Covid in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy talk about a new FREOPP report that ranks the pandemic performance of 31 countries, including the U.S. Which countries have moved up and down in the rankings, which country is number 1, and why is Europe having such a tough time? All that and more starting now. Measuring the COVID-19 Policy Response Around the World... Source

04-12
18:29

E66. Patrick Ruffini on What’s Next for the GOP

Can conservative principles adapt to appeal to younger generations and minorities? What are realistic conservative policy goals for the 21st century? Is there a future for an inclusive, equal opportunity-oriented conservative movement? Patrick Ruffini from Echelon Insights, a next-generation polling, analytics, and intelligence firm, joins American Wonk to discuss. Patrick has a background as a... Source

03-17
52:42

E65. COVID in 19: Who’s to Thank for the Coronavirus Vaccine?

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity talk about why the vaccines are not a vindication of Big Pharma, but of small, innovative biotech startups. Also, who’s first in line to get the vaccine? And what about the people who don’t want to take it? Source

12-08
18:32

E64. COVID in 19: Everything You Need to Know About the New Vaccine

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity talk about this week’s vaccine news from Pfizer and Biontech. How good is the data? Are more vaccines on the horizon? Will Joe Biden strive to distribute vaccines around the world or prioritize Americans? Source

11-14
21:12

E63. COVID in 19: World Health Organization Acknowledges Consequences to Lockdowns

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about the World Health Organization’s new guidance that lockdowns are bad. What took them so long? And with the holidays coming up, Avik explains why his kids will be trick or treating and why he’s even looking forward to seeing his relatives. Source

10-27
18:27

E62. Ilya Shapiro on the Politics of the Supreme Court

On today’s episode of American Wonk, FREOPP’s Avik Roy talks with Ilya Shapiro, author of “Supreme Disorder,” a new book on the politics of the Supreme Court. They talk about Amy Coney Barrett and ask: what have conservatives gotten right and wrong in their quest to change how the Supreme Court thinks about the Constitution? Supreme Disorder: Judicial Nominations and the Politics of America’s... Source

10-20
53:08

E61. COVID in 19: President Trump Recovers from the Virus

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about President Trump’s recovery from the virus. What really happened, and what do we need to know about the new treatments that Trump has taken? Source

10-16
17:04

E60. COVID in 19: The Mismanagement of Data

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Avik’s congressional testimony on data and COVID-19. Why haven’t we been better at measuring deaths in nursing homes? Why are so many lab tests coming back with false positive results, and what can we do about it? Source

10-16
18:05

E59. Robert Bryce and Jim Cooper: The Sierra Club and Environmental Racism

On today’s episode of Power Hungry, FREOPP Visiting Fellow Robert Bryce talks to California Assemblyman Jim Cooper, a Democrat, about a letter he wrote accusing the Sierra Club of fueling environmental racism. What’s going wrong with energy policy in California? Source

10-09
50:21

E58. COVID in 19: Biden Claims that Trump is Responsible for 200,000 Deaths

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Joe Biden’s claim that Trump is responsible for all 200,000 COVID deaths in America. Also, how should we think about COVID’s impact on different ethnic groups? And how would the rollout of a vaccine actually work? The World Index of Healthcare Innovation: wihi.freopp. Source

09-23
19:15

E57. COVID in 19: YouTube Takes Down Interview with Trump Advisor Scott Atlas

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Atlas-gate, the decision of Youtube to censor an interview that Trump coronavirus advisor and Stanford professor Scott Atlas did with the Hoover Institution. What was Youtube thinking? Source

09-16
19:21

E56. Robert Bryce and Michael Shellenberger: Why Nuclear Energy is the Path Forward to Reducing Carbon Emissions

On today’s episode of Power Hungry, FREOPP Visiting Fellow Robert Bryce talks to Michael Shellenberger, founder of Environmental Progress, about his new book Apocalypse Never. Is nuclear power our best hope for reducing carbon emissions? They discuss that and more! http://robertbryce.com/ https://environmentalprogress.org/ https://freopp.org/ Source

09-15
01:15:53

E55. COVID in 19: Why Did Trump Downplay the Pandemic Early On?

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Los Angeles cancelling and then de-cancelling Halloween, and also the claim that a motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to a massive COVID outbreak. Also, why did Trump downplay the pandemic early on? Source

09-14
20:13

E54. COVID in 19: Should You Believe Your Positive COVID Test?

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk Nancy Pelosi’s hair salon crime spree. They also discuss a fascinating New York Times report suggesting as many as 70% of people testing positive under PCR tests for COVID are actually negative. Email covidin19@ricochet.com with your questions, and we’ll answer them on the air. Source

09-04
19:01

E53. COVID in 19: Is the CDC Overcounting or Undercounting Deaths?

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk CDC conspiracy theories: are we overcounting or undercounting the number of COVID deaths in the US? And why has the CDC stopped recommending testing for people with no symptoms? Email covidin19@ricochet.com with your questions, and we’ll answer them on the air. Source

09-03
20:04

E52. COVID in 19: California’s Testing Debacle

On today’s episode of COVD in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk about the California data debacle: why is it so hard for the tech capital of the world to accurately report its COVID statistics? Will encouraging news on the testing front solve all our problems? Email covidin19@ricochet.com with your questions, and we’ll answer them on the air! Source

08-27
21:02

E51. COVID in 19: What Does Science Say About the Value of Lockdowns?

On today’s episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk about Day 1 of the Republican National Convention. Joe Biden says that if cases rise again, he would support another shutdown. But what does the science really say about the value of lockdowns? Have a question about the coronavirus or reopening plans? Email covidin19@ricochet.com and Avik will answer your... Source

08-26
18:05

T Tanner

I enjoy this podcast and also like the idea of COVID in 19. But am wondering why there is so much repetition in the COVID in 19 episodes? I feel like 50 percent of the 2nd and 3rd episodes are covering stuff already discussed in the first episode. This sort of decreases my incentive for using these as a source for up to date info...

07-21 Reply

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