Jul 27, 2020

Good morning from Washington, D.C. As rioters continue to have their way in Portland, Oregon, it’s increasingly clear that there is a plot to change America. Heritage expert Mike Gonzalez has a new book out that exposes the myths that help perpetuate identity politics and explains why it is urgent to change course. Also, Heritage has released a new special report that analyzes the different approaches countries around the world have taken to manage COVID-19. Plus, the U.S. Army is teaching a course titled “Operation Inclusion,” promoting the belief that if you support enforcing immigration law, or say things like “all lives matter,” then you’re a white supremacist. To learn more keep reading below!

How Identity Politics Is Changing the Land of the Free
Fresh from the pen of Heritage’s Mike Gonzalez comes an illuminating new book, “The Plot to Change America,” which exposes the myths that perpetuate identity politics and explains why it’s urgent for Americans to reject the culture of victimhood and identitarian division. Gonzalez, the Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum senior fellow at Heritage, explains that while we should not fool ourselves into thinking it will be easy to eliminate identity politics, there’s a strategy to do it. “The reason I wrote this book is to change how we, Americans, think about these issues; how we, Americans, see identity politics. … I want us to understand that it is a political program, that it is based on categories that are synthetic and government created,” Gonzalez says about his book on the podcast Heritage Explains. “The Plot to Change America” is a must-read book in our current political climate. Order your copy to learn the truth about identity politics and how you can fight back.

Sweeping COVID-19 Lockdowns Did Not Result in Better Outcomes
Having infected more than 13 million people in more than 200 countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has become the top priority of policymakers all across the globe. Given that it will take time to develop a vaccine for this novel virus, it is important to examine different policy approaches to combating it. Heritage experts Kevin Dayaratna, Patrick Tyrrell, and Andrew Vanderplas do just that in their latest special report—analyzing different countries’ responses to COVID-19 and showing that country-wide lockdowns aren’t the best approach. “The evidence suggests that, among other important findings, broad lockdown orders that fail to focus primarily on the most vulnerable members of the population—particularly the elderly—have not produced superior outcomes to less restrictive policies,” their report reads. Read the full report to find out which approaches to COVID-19 have been most effective and what our leaders can learn from them.

Teaching Hate Under the Guise of ‘Inclusion’
Members of the military, uniformed and civilian, are strictly prohibited from engaging in overt political activities. Those rules exist to keep them focused on their mission—defending the nation. But apparently, someone in the U.S. Army’s Equity and Inclusion Agency has forgotten the rules. With a course titled “Operation Inclusion,” the agency is promoting the line that if you support enforcing immigration law, or say things like “all lives matter,” then you’re a white supremacist. “There is no doubt the Army’s Office of Inclusion and Equity can find ways to teach military personnel about the positive values of inclusion and equity in a nonpartisan way. Instead, it has taken a different, highly toxic approach that if anything feeds racial stereotyping,” write Heritage senior legal fellows Hans von Spakovsky and Cully Stimson. Read the full commentary to find out what’s happening in the U.S. Army.

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The Heritage Foundation is mourning the loss of our longtime colleague and our dear friend James Gattuso, a senior research fellow in regulatory policy.

"He was a brilliant policy expert, kind human being, and witty coworker," said Heritage President Kay C. James. “James loved liberty. He was principled. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone and no one had a bad thing to say about him. He was truly what we should all strive to be.

“In two stints and more than 20 years at Heritage, James worked to advance a range of policy issues, most recently regulatory and telecommunications issues in our Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies. He was passionate about his work and eager to collaborate with others. Many of our current and former staff counted him as mentor and deeply respected his knowledge and insight. 

Read more about Gattuso's contributions to the conservative movement. 

Heritage joined PragerU in defending law enforcement through the #BackTheBlue campaign to DEFEND the police. “I want to speak directly to the men and women of law enforcement and I want to thank you for wearing a badge each day to protect our lives and preserve the peace,” says Heritage President Kay C. James in a video featured by PragerU on social media. Watch the video.

Heritage Foundation experts have proven instrumental in guiding a robust response to China. Several recent actions directed toward China from the Trump administration and the British government mirror proposals made by Heritage analysts on topics ranging from Huawei and 5G to the inhumane treatment of the Muslim religious minority Uighurs in Xinjiang. Learn more.

The Senate has confirmed Russ Vought to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget, making him the third Heritage alumni to join President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. Learn more about Vought’s role at Heritage and our other alumni.

Heritage hosted a virtual conversation on the triumphs of our American history, and ways to debunk the narratives of revisionist history with Dr. Lucas Morel, author and the John K. Boardman, Jr. professor of politics; Dr. Thomas Krannawitter, president of Speakeasy Ideas; and Katherine Gorka, director of Civil Society and the American Dialogue at Heritage’s Feulner Institute. The event, hosted by Angela Sailor, vice president of the Feulner Institute, kicked off Kicking Heritage’s "America's History of Hope" series. Watch the event.

Joe Loconte, director of Heritage’s Simon Center for American Studies, testified before Congress in support of preserving statues and to warn against the danger of acquiescing to mob rule in America. Watch his remarks.

WEDNESDAY at 9 a.m., Heritage will hold a virtual event to discuss the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and how important it is in the face of a more aggressive China. Opening remarks will be made by Bi-khim Hsiao, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. Featured speakers include David R. Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Mei-Hua Wang, minister of Economic Affairs for the Republic of China (Taiwan). Register for the event.

THURSDAY at 10 a.m., Heritage will hold a virtual discussion on whether redesigning the Marine Corps for future war is necessary or madness. Featured speakers include retired Marine Lt. Col. Frank G. Hoffman, a distinguished research fellow at the National Defense University, and retired Marine Col. Mark F. Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Register for the event.

Here are highlights from Heritage experts on TV. This week they talked about standing up to China, preserving American history, religious freedom and more. Watch the clips.