Nov 23, 2020

Greetings on this Thanksgiving week. While we all have much to be thankful for, we also have many difficult issues to confront. This week we highlight several, including election fraud, weaknesses in our defenses, and China’s effort to use a popular app to spy on Americans. Also, the “Heritage Explains” podcast describes how the woke left will try to cancel Thanksgiving. Happy reading. And Happy Thanksgiving!

The Election Fiasco Could Have Easily Been Avoided
The 2020 presidential election has been an unprecedented mess, with numerous allegations of voter fraud and unheard of delays in vote counting. It didn’t have to be this way. “If our public servants had implemented the reforms recommended in 2005 by the Commission on Federal Election Reform—a bipartisan commission formed to improve the integrity of our elections—we might not be in the situation we find ourselves in today,” says Heritage President Kay C. James, a former member of the commission, in her latest commentary. Read the full commentary to learn more about how the commission’s recommendations can ensure the integrity of our future elections.

Latest Index of U.S. Military Strength Shows Our Readiness Isn’t Where It Should Be
The Heritage Foundation released the 2021 Index of U.S. Military Strength on Thursday at an event featuring keynote remarks from Rep. William “Mac” Thornberry, R-Texas. The seventh edition of this highly influential report finds that we’ve made strides in equipping our armed forces to confront modern threats, but much more work remains. “To me, the fundamental point here is that … the federal government is not fulfilling its first responsibility to the American people and to future generations to provide for the common defense,” Thornberry said of Heritage’s findings. Read the latest Index of U.S. Military Strength to find out where our country stands in terms of military readiness.

Heritage Expert Exposes TikTok’s China Ties on ‘60 Minutes’
Klon Kitchen, director of Heritage's Center for Technology Policy, recently appeared on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” to discuss the hidden links between the Chinese Communist Party and TikTok. During his segment, Kitchen told CBS News’ Bill Whitaker how the popular social media app collects massive amounts of data from its millions of users: home address, social network, online viewing habits, and much more. He explained why handing all this data over to the Chinese poses a security threat that Americans should take seriously. Watch the interview and learn more about Heritage’s work on this issue.

Are They Prepared?
You’ve worked hard, accumulated savings, and have done your best to create an estate plan that benefits your loved ones. A lifetime has gone into planning your family’s financial security, but are they prepared to receive it? Strengthen your family’s communication skills this Thanksgiving holiday by taking advantage of our three-part video series with family wealth expert Tom Rogerson and learn how to pass along your conservative values to children and grandchildren while building a more resilient and financially secure family capable of weathering life’s challenges.

A group of freshman lawmakers made The Heritage Foundation one of their first stops after Election Day for the biannual New Members Orientation. This year, more than half of the newly elected members of Congress attended Heritage’s orientation program. Learn more.

MONDAY at 2 p.m., Heritage and the Religious Freedom Institute will host a virtual discussion on the Mayflower Compact and the origins of property rights. This event is part of Heritage’s Bolstering the American Story event series. Learn more about the speakers and register for the event.

This week, in a special episode of “Heritage Explains,” we discuss why Thanksgiving, like Columbus Day, could be the next holiday to be canceled by the woke left. Listen to the podcast.

On “China Uncovered,” host Olivia Enos interviews Sarah Cook on the Chinese Communist Party's use of soft power, disinformation, and censorship in its influence campaign. Cook is the research director for China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong at Freedom House and author of the “Beijing's Global Megaphone” report. Listen to the podcast.

Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow and manager of Heritage’s Election Law Reform Initiative, joined Newsmax’s “Spicer & Co.” to discuss election litigation and Heritage’s Election Fraud Database. Watch the segment.

Do you agree? Email us your thoughts at [email protected].