Pharmaceutical Trials: When Left’s Obsession With Race Kills - One of the last things Francis Collins, then-director of the National Institutes of Health, did before retiring was to pressure Moderna into delaying the release of its COVID-19 vaccine because he wanted more minorities in its clinical trials. Moderna’s CEO, Stephane Bancel, was happy to oblige him, saying that diversity “matters more to us than speed.” That decision was not based on science, and it likely cost lives. A new study by law professor Michael Conklin, and a new book by another law professor, David Bernstein, explain why. The race labels that we are all familiar with—black, white, Asian, Hispanic, etc.—are not scientific.  Quite the contrary, Bernstein traces their origins to “a combination of amateur anthropology and sociology, interest-group lobbying, incompetence, inertia, lack of public oversight, and happenstance.” They have no basis in biology, tell us nothing about genetics, and are therefore useless to medical research. Heritage Expert: GianCarlo Canaparo

“Woke” Public Diplomacy Undermines the State Department’s Core Mission and Weakens U.S. Foreign Policy - While the U.S. government’s executive branch has the lead on foreign policy, Congress funds the activities of the State Department directed at foreign audiences, and these activities must reflect those of the American people as a whole and serve the national interest. Yet the State Department’s public diplomacy programs abroad tend to skew toward fringe aspects of U.S. domestic social issues and away from core, enduring U.S. values. Congress must exert greater scrutiny over the department’s activities in public diplomacy messages, exchange and visitor programs, and grants, and it must establish sensible limits on the department’s ever-growing number of special-interest envoys and representatives. Heritage Foundation: Simon Hankinson

Improving Budget Rules and Processes to Achieve Policy Outcomes in the 118th Congress - The goal of fiscal policy in the 118th Congress is to reverse the growth of government spending and inflation. The rules and processes by which lawmakers approach this important task can either set them up for success or failure. Congress should strengthen the rules and processes used to implement fiscal policy in three ways. First, the budget process should become more transparent and promote accountability by providing more information about legislation to Members of Congress and the public. Second, cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation should be improved and modernized, providing more accurate budgetary scoring. And third, budget reforms should also help control the growth of government spending. Heritage Expert: Matthew Dickerson

The National Defense Stockpile is Small but Important—and Should Be Bigger - The National Defense Stockpile is a little-known and less-than-glamorous responsibility of the Defense Department. However, this reserve of raw critical materials plays an outsized role in U.S. national defense — and it needs help from Congress. Heritage Foundation: Maiya Clark

Clarifying Civil Right Remedies Act of 2022 - carried by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, seeks to “clarify” the range of damages available to plaintiffs in federal civil suits that claim emotional harm under federal civil rights laws such as the Civil Rights Act. Such awards were curbed by the high court, the senators said, in Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller. Heritage Expert: Sarah Parshall Perry

Republicans must change course on wasteful spending - Republicans across the country campaigned aggressively on fighting inflation, a message that helped flip enough seats to change control of the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, both chambers of Congress are considering choices that would make things worse. A prime example of fiscal irresponsibility is the return of federal earmark spending, where elected officials in Washington use taxpayer’ money to subsidies pet projects. Rather than focusing on vital national priorities, most federal earmarks go toward parochial and special interests. Incumbents expect that “bringing home the bacon” will help them when the next re-election campaign rolls around. Heritage Expert: David Ditch

Looks like the inflation Grinch plans to stick around Buckle up, America - If you're hurting from inflation this holiday season, you’re not alone. Businesses are getting crushed too. In the last 12 months, prices paid by businesses rose 7.4 percent, according to the latest producer price index (PPI) data, used to measure "wholesale inflation." Shoppers and sellers alike are victims of this modern-day Grinch. Heritage Expert: EJ Antoni

The US cares about religious freedom abroad, but at home? Not so much - It’s been clear from the start that the Biden administration doesn’t prioritize religious freedom. Religious freedom is a fundamental right that upholds others. But Secretary of State Antony Blinken argued that it is just one “co-equal” and “interdependent” right. That’s because it’s a stumbling block for the Left’s pursuit of an ideological agenda that is even less popular in the developing world than it is here. As it turns out, devaluing religious freedom is a critical step in promoting rights based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Heritage Expert: Simon Hankinson and Grace Melton

Progressive teachers vs conservative families: School choice can help level the playing field - There is a growing disconnect between the values and priorities of America’s public education system and the families that system is supposed to serve. Educators increasingly see their role as rescuing children from the backward values of their parents. Heritage Foundation: Jay P. Greene