Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross testified before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on President Trump's 2021 budget request for his department. The secretary fielded questions on range of issues, including the 2020 census, space commerce, trade relations, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operations, and the protection of fisheries. This is the first portion of the hearing, before the committee took a short break.
University of Texas journalism professor Kate Winkler Dawson looked at the life of Edward Oscar Heinrich, America's first forensic scientist, who was integral in introducing the use of ballistics, blood spatter analysis, and fingerprints as evidence in legal cases.
Former Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig recounted his tenure and offered his thoughts on how baseball can change to remain relevant in the future. He was joined in conversation by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Historian Gretchen Sorin looked at how the introduction of the automobile impacted the lives of African Americans, providing a new freedom that was supported by black-owned businesses and travel guides.
Ali Khan talked about his book, "The Next Pandemic: On the Front Lines Against Humankind's Gravest Dangers," in which he examines the world's deadliest diseases, possible new threats, lessons that can be learned from both, and safety measures that can be put into practice for the next pandemic.
Author David Quammen talked about his book, "Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic," in which he looked at diseases like Ebola, SARS, avian flu, and AIDS that originated in animals but spread to humans and talks about the threat of this kind of "spillover" in the future. Mr. Quammen spoke at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC.
Former Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland detailed her time in the Trump Administration. She was interviewed by author and New Zealand columnist Danielle McLaughlin.
Former Obama administration official Dan Pfeiffer offered his thoughts on how to beat Donald Trump in the 2020 election and to repair what he see's as damage to the American political system.
Alexis Wichowski, deputy chief technology officer for New York City, talked about the power dynamic between big tech companies and governments around the world.
George Mason University professor Colin Dueck talked about the strengths and weaknesses of President Trump's foreign policy and the role of conservative nationalism in U.S. foreign policy.
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education in the George H.W. Bush administration Diane Ravitch made the argument for why she believes public education should not be privatized.
