Aug 24, 2020

*We apologize for the error. Here is your Monday morning Agenda for August 24, 2020.

Greetings from Washington. This week we offer some much-needed myth-busting about the U.S. Postal Service, which has been the subject of lots of heated rhetoric, much of it false and misleading. Also, Heritage President Kay C. James explains how COVID-19 is creating a unique opportunity to advance education choice. And those looking for solutions to education and hundreds of other pressing public policy issues now have a book to guide them—Mandate 2020.

Fact Check: Debunking 10 Myths About the Postal Service
We’re used to seeing falsehoods and misinformation spreading like wildfire online, but who could have imagined that in 2020 the focus of so much melodramatic conspiracy-mongering would be the U.S. Postal Service? While the USPS does face real challenges that require congressional actions to fix, the current debate over its ability to handle mail-in voting has been filled with myths. To separate fact from fiction, Heritage research associate David Ditch lays bare 10 myths being peddled about the USPS. “The sooner we stop spreading unfounded rumors about the Postal Service, the more likely we will be to reach an agreement on solutions,” Ditch writes. Read Ditch’s full article to find out the truth about the state of the Postal Service. 

There Has Never Been a Better Time for School Choice in America
Across America, families are struggling to ensure their kids get a good education as public schools decide to remain partially or completely closed this fall. The good news is that there has never been a better time to advance school choice, says Heritage President Kay C. James. “School choice addresses many of the issues we're facing during the coronavirus and provides better educational opportunities for every student—not just during the pandemic, but for generations of students to come,” James writes in her latest commentary. Read the full commentary to find out why the time is ripe for school choice in America.

A Clear, Unified Policy Vision for the Next Congress and the White House
You can’t get anywhere without a good map. So earlier this month, Heritage released “Mandate 2020,” which contains more than 200 detailed and actionable policy solutions to guide the next administration. The Washington Examiner reported that when he got his copy of “Mandate 2020,” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he’d personally hand it to the president, remarking that it “can be a blueprint for what happens in a second Donald J. Trump term.” Heritage hopes that whoever controls the White House and Congress after November will use the Mandate to the fullest. This year’s Mandate is also designed for all audiences. You can buy your own copy of “Mandate 2020” here.

Heritage President Kay C. James joined President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for an event at the White House to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Learn more.

MONDAY at 10:30 a.m., Heritage will host Brigadier General John Rafferty, director of Long Range Precision Fires Cross Functional Team at Army Futures Command, for a virtual conversation on improving the Army’s precision fires capability. Register for the webinar.

MONDAY at 1 p.m., Heritage will host an online conversation about the push to remove resource officers from schools. Featured speakers include: Grace Johnson, who is a survivor of the 2018 school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas and co-founder of Hearts United for Kindness; Byron Donalds, member of the Florida House of Representatives; and Amy Swearer, a legal fellow in Heritage’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. Register for the webinar.

FRIDAY at 11 a.m., join us for Part II of Heritage’s "America's History of Hope" series. This virtual conversation will address the perils of revisionist history. Featured speakers include Mary Grabar, resident fellow at the Alexander Hamilton Institute, and Allen C. Guelzo, a visiting fellow in Heritage’s Simon Center for American Studies. Register for the webinar.

Here are highlights from Heritage experts on TV. This week they talked about foreign policy, Russia, ending birthright citizenship and more. Watch the clips.