Nov 04, 2019

Good afternoon from Washington, D.C.! America and our allies are safest when America’s military is strong. But how do we know if the U.S. military is capable of meeting global threats? Enter the Heritage Index of U.S. Military Strength, the only non-governmental, annual assessment of our military force. Last week, Heritage’s national defense experts released the sixth annual Index. In today’s Agenda you will read more about the state of our military, and be sure to visit the 2020 Index website. Tomorrow is Election Day, which sadly brings the threat of fraud. Heritage election integrity expert Hans von Spakovsky puts a spotlight on a particularly troubling practice that encourages fraud—and is perfectly legal in many states. Read his commentary below for the full explanation. Lastly, we share with you the inspiring story of Daniel Di Martino, who escaped socialist Venezuela to find a better life in America. His new video will remind you why oppressed people the world over look to America as a shining example. We hope you will watch it and share widely!

Is Our Military Capable of Meeting Global Threats?
The Heritage Foundation released its 2020 Index of U.S. Military Strength to the public and government officials on Oct. 30. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, chairwoman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, gave keynote remarks at the launch event held at Heritage. “As a mother, as a veteran, and as a United States senator, I can tell you that this year’s Index of U.S. Military Strength highlights the real threats which keep me and many others up at night,” she said.

At a separate event at Heritage later in the day, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said, “If Congress gets national defense wrong, nothing else matters.”

According to this year’s Index, the U.S. military is “only marginally able to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests.”

Ernst said the Index highlights a clear need to strengthen our military in the face of adversarial state powers like China and Russia. “We cannot allow tomorrow to be the day that China makes a calculation that taking Taiwan by force would result in anything but failure,” she said. “We cannot allow Russia to decide the United States and our NATO allies would back down following a Russian invasion of the Baltic states.” Explore the latest edition of Heritage’s Index of U.S. Military Strength.

Threat of Vote Harvesting Fraud Looms Over Election Day
With Election Day taking place tomorrow, Nov. 5, Heritage Senior Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky is raising awareness of a practice that poses a serious threat to the integrity of election results: vote harvesting. Legal in Washington, D.C., and 27 states, vote harvesting allows party activists and campaign consultants to collect absentee ballots and deliver them to election officials—giving them the opportunity to manipulate election outcomes by stealing, altering, or forging ballots. “Giving third parties who have a stake in the outcome of an election unsupervised access to voters and their absentee ballots is not wise. Indeed, it is a proven threat to the integrity of our elections,” said von Spakovsky. Find out more about this threat to our nation’s election integrity.

Student Finds Hope in America After Escaping Socialist Venezuela
Daniel Di Martino grew up amid violence, poverty, and corruption in socialist Venezuela. Thankfully, he escaped those horrors and began a new life in the United States with a full-tuition scholarship to Indiana University. In a new Heritage video, Di Martino shared his story. “Waking up in America and waking up in Venezuela are two very different things. While in Venezuela, I didn’t have the hope of ever having my own home, having a car, or starting a family. In America, I’m not only hopeful but I am sure that I will be able to do those things,” he said. Di Martino’s story poignantly illustrates what makes America truly exceptional. The Heritage Foundation, through our newest initiative, the Feulner Institute, will work to make more people aware of how important our freedoms truly are, and make them understand the kind of society that socialism creates. Watch Di Martino’s story of finding hope in America.

Wednesday at noon, Heritage will host an event to discuss the religious origins of America’s founding. This event will feature Mark David Hall, Ph.D., the Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics and faculty fellow in the William Penn Honors Program at George Fox University. Watch the event live.

Thursday at noon, as part of our “Preserve the Constitution” event series, Heritage will host an event to discuss the electoral college. Panelists include Trent England, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs; Allen Guelzo, professor of Civil War era studies at Gettysburg College; and Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at Heritage’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. Watch the event live.

Thursday at 3 p.m., independent journalist Andy Ngo will discuss the rise of the far-left revolutionary movement known as Antifa. Watch the event live.

Here are the highlights from media outlets like Fox Business, Bloomberg, C-SPAN and more featuring Heritage experts. This week, they touched on hot topics like impeachment, Brexit, ISIS, and the economy. Watch the video.