A weekly roundup of news, commentary, research, events, and more
from The Heritage Foundation.
Oct 03, 2022
Arizona’s Universal Education Choice Plan Survives Its First Assault
Math is hard: A prominent anti-school-choice group called Save Our Schools said it had 141,714 signatures for a ballot initiative repealing Arizona’s new universal school choice reform. The actual number: 88,866.


- “We just sometimes get things wrong,” said Beth Lewis, executive director of Save Our Schools, conceding defeat.



The target: The group hoped to repeal Arizona’s universal “education savings account” plan, which will let families control $7,000 a year in public education funds. Heritage is a strong advocate for these accounts.

Learn more: Read more about the implications of this victory for education choice here <[link removed]>.

Stay up to date: Subscribe to the Center for Education Policy e-newsletter <[link removed]>.
How Much Is Bidenflation Costing You? This Much
Feeling the squeeze: Without a doubt, the inflation crisis under the Biden administration is a pain in the wallet of every American. Heritage ran the numbers to see just how much it is costing families:


- The average American has lost $4,200 in annual income under the Biden administration because of inflation and higher interest rates.



Our take: “We are in vicious spiral, but it’s one of Joe Biden, the Democrat-controlled Congress, and the Fed’s own making,” writes Heritage research fellow EJ Antoni <[link removed]>.

Learn more: Read more about how Bidenflation is affecting everyday Americans here <[link removed]>.
Debunking Myths About the Big, Bad Gun Industry
Disinformation campaign: Gun-control groups are trying to shift the blame for gun violence to manufacturers by peddling several myths, such as:



- Special protections make the gun industry immune from liability,
- The gun industry should “foot the bill” for costs due to gun violence, and
- The gun industry should be liable for the actions of bad actors.



The quest for truth: Legal fellow Amy Swearer debunks these fairy tales—which are meant to frighten the public into signing their freedoms away—with the facts. Read more here <[link removed]>.
It’s Time to Put Pro-Abortion Activists on the Defensive
The fight for life has just begun: Overturning Roe v. Wade was a profound victory for the pro-life movement. But it was never the end goal—just a necessary step in the fight for life, write Heritage President Kevin Roberts and Heritage Action for America Executive Director Jessica Anderson.

Why federal action is needed: In the wake of the Dobbs decision, places like the District of Columbia, New York, and California have only fortified their abortion-on-demand, up-until-birth, no-questions-asked policies.


- “The risk of infanticide and extreme abortion policies being quietly tolerated in these radical states is too real to ignore and cries out for a federal solution even as conservatives are doing what they can to advance protections for life at the state level,” Roberts and Anderson write.
- The public has a right to know where every current and prospective member of Congress stands on these commonsense protections for life.



Learn more: Read their full commentary on this issue here <[link removed]>.

Stay up to date: Sign up for the DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family e-newsletter <[link removed]>.

Support Mark Mark Houck’s legal defense fund. Houck is a pro-life advocate who was arrested by heavily armed federal agents, who stormed his home at dawn on Sept. 23. Learn more and donate here <[link removed]>.
DID YOU KNOW?
Heritage’s Center for Data Analysis built an interactive tool that lets you track the impact of inflation, which has surged under President Biden. Check out the Biden Inflation Tracker here <[link removed]>.
CAPITOL HILL TRAINING PROGRAM
What: Heritage runs a two-day, intensive learning program for people looking to get a job on Capitol Hill called Ready, Set, HILL! 
Who: Enrollees hear from members of Congress, Capitol Hill chiefs of staff, skills coaches, and other professionals on a wide range of practical subjects. 
When: The application deadline is Oct. 16. Learn more about the program here <[link removed]>.
EVENTS
U.S.-Uganda Partnership in a Turbulent Region: A Conversation with Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oct. 4, 11 a.m.




- Featured speaker: Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gen. Abubaker Jeje Odongo



Register here <[link removed]>.
The Politics of Climate Change, Oct. 12, 11 a.m.
Speakers include:



- Jerome Corsi, Ph.D., author of “The Truth About Energy, Global Warming, and Climate Change”
- Marc Morano, author of “Green Fraud: Why the Green New Deal Is Even Worse than You Than You Think”



Register here <[link removed]>.
NEW RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
- What I'm Seeing on Texas' Border With Mexico <[link removed]>
- All Over the World, Conservatives Waking Up to Threat of New Marxists <[link removed]>
- Who Decides What Children Read? Authoritarians Slander Parent Groups as “Book Banners” <[link removed]>
- Here Are the Factors That Affect Gas Prices <[link removed]>
- Biden’s Bumbling and Stumbling Could Start World War III <[link removed]>
- Joe Biden’s Box-Checking U.N. Address Was a Failure <[link removed]>
- To Understand Montpelier’s Leftist Turn, Follow the Money <[link removed]>
- Russia’s Attack on Nord Stream Pipelines Means Putin Has Truly Weaponized Energy <[link removed]>
- Drone Swarms Aren’t Science Fiction. America Must Meet This Threat. <[link removed]>
- ‘Did He Just Shoot Me?’ 84-Year-Old Woman Shot While Canvassing On Abortion Speaks Out <[link removed]>
- Winning Italian Party Unfairly Called “Far Right” <[link removed]>
- 3 Seas Initiative Should Be America’s Transatlantic Partnership for Economic Freedom, Not Woke Agenda <[link removed]>
HERITAGE PODCASTS
“The Kevin Roberts Show”: Rodney Scott, a three-decade veteran and 24th chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, joins this week’s episode to talk about how Biden’s radical open-borders agenda is fueling our national opioid epidemic, putting more money in the hands of cartels and human traffickers, opening the border to terrorists and other national security threats, and preventing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deporting even convicted violent criminals and gang members. Listen here <[link removed]>.

“Heritage Explains”: What is going on with the war in Ukraine? How much longer will the Russians continue to fight? Should America continue to support Ukraine’s defense efforts? On this episode, Jim Carafano, vice president of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, answers these questions and talks about his recent visit to Ukraine, giving us a vivid, insider look at the communities where war is being fought. It’s a special interview you won’t want to miss. Listen here <[link removed]>.

Check out Heritage’s complete lineup of podcasts here <[link removed]>.
HERITAGE IN THE NEWS
President Biden’s disastrous economic policies have driven up costs and impoverished American families, Steve Moore, Heritage’s distinguished fellow in economics, told Newsmax. Watch the clip here <[link removed]>.
Other Media Hits



- Illegal Immigration Is Not A Victimless Crime—Mark Morgan on Newsmax <[link removed]> 
- Italy's New PM Shows Conservatism is Winning in Europe—Nile Gardiner on Fox News <[link removed]>
- With Democrats In Control, There Are Going To Be More Organizations Sued For Standing Up For Their Religious Beliefs—Jay Richards on Wilkow! <[link removed]>
- Heritage Is Going on Offense for the Movement and the Country—Kevin Roberts, Derrick Morgan, and Mike Howell on “Bo Snerdley Rush Hour” <[link removed]>
- What’s Happening on Our Southwest Border Is Intentional and On Purpose­—Mark Morgan on “Jim Bohannon Show” <[link removed]>
POLICY PICTURE
Follow The Heritage Foundation <[link removed]> and The Daily Signal <[link removed]> on Instagram.

Email us your thoughts and questions at [email protected] <[link removed]>.

-