America, a land rich in growth and prosperity but also blessed with an abundance of natural beauty, faces a quandary: how to keep its economy flourishing while at the same time safeguarding its environment. It’s the topic of the Hoover’s Institution’s upcoming “Markets vs. Mandates” conference. Terry Anderson, Hoover’s John and Jean De Nault Senior Fellow (adjunct) and one of the founders of “free-market environmentalism”, discusses what’s on the agenda at the Hoover symposium (tariffs, AI, federal-to-state regulatory shifts) and why tradeoffs are the key to America’s future, be it protecting resources, meeting energy needs and keeping the nation on the cutting edge of technology. Anderson points to different regions of the US where markets and mandates butt heads, including his native Montana and nearby Wyoming, Virginia’s embrace of energy-guzzling data centers, and a potential lithium bonanza in the Carolinas and parts of New England.

The war in Iran finds its way to California in the form of higher fuel prices, but how much of the Golden’s State “pain at the pump” is driven by geopolitics versus decades of arguably misguided state energy policies? Meanwhile, a gubernatorial primary unique in its lack of a clear frontrunner becomes more muddled after former Rep. Eric Swalwell abruptly quits the race following accusations of sexual misconduct. Also muddled: post-COVID California and news that Golden State’s population centers haven’t fully bounced back six years after the pandemic ( a reflection of changing workstyles and a lack of affordable housing). Finally, where’s the smoke, there’s . . . a flourishing cannabis black market in California a decade after voters legalized (and levied a heavy tax) on recreational marijuana.

Recorded on April 22, 2026.

While America’s education system doesn’t lack for shareholders (parents, educators, political and policy leaders, as well as business and community activists), there’s a question as to whether all concerns are being heard and respected. Margaret “Macke” Raymond, a Hoover Institution distinguished research fellow and director of Hoover’s program on K-12 Education, discusses the findings of Hoover’s Unheard Voices report – Raymond and her research team engaged with nine communities across America, each one beset with underperforming schools. What they discovered: parents and community leaders want to become more involved in the lives of their schools but suffer from a lack of information and context – and, in some cases, educators are reluctant to listen to outside voices.

Recorded on April 9, 2026.