AEI's scholars offer penetrating insights into some of the most important legislative efforts, economic trends, and foreign affairs shaping the week. Yuval Levin examines the early efforts of a bipartisan group of lawmakers to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887, a vaguely phrased law that gives congressional representatives the ability to object to the certification of states' Electoral College votes, which was a major source of controversy after the 2020 presidential election. Although Levin identifies significant flaws with the reforms so far, he concludes that the lawmakers are discussing "a reasonable, relatively restrained, and thoughtfully conceived proposal."

Reviewing the mix of conservative populism and economic nationalism that has seeped into the economic policies of the Republican Party, Michael Strain concludes that it has failed to deliver benefits to working-class Americans. "Industrial policy and trade wars are a threat to long-run growth and to the long-term welfare of workers," he writes. American workers would be better served by what he calls "a growth-and-participation agenda."

Edward Pinto and Tobias Peter suggest that the recent passage of the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act signals a victory for free-market reforms in the Golden State. "The new law upends the long-held assumption that elites can allocate resources better than markets," they write, and "reinforces a growing consensus that the way to make housing more affordable is to increase supply, not to ease credit."

This past Wednesday, James Capretta testified before Congress about the rising costs of Medicare and the program's future funding. He warned that long-term trends could have dire consequences for the national debt, American taxpayers, and even Medicare itself, and he urged Congress to consider several reforms to lower its costs, improve its efficiency, and ensure its longevity.

As the Beijing Olympics begin, Michael Mazza proposes important questions for American reporters to ask about the Chinese regime's human rights abuses. For example, why have the Olympics returned to Beijing after the Chinese government flouted the human rights assurances it made to the International Olympics Committee (IOC) in 2008? And why hasn't the IOC investigated the allegations of genocide against China's Uyghur population?

Assessing the future of the great-power competition between the United States and China, Colin Dueck warns that "we need to stop looking for the next Gorbachev" and instead "settle in for what is likely to be a lengthy and hopefully peaceful" contest.