The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Utah’s public lands lawsuit. So what does this mean for the states' prospects for having stronger management of land within their own borders?

On this episode, Nic Dunn is joined by Sutherland Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan to give an update on the status of the public lands dispute between the state of Utah and the federal government. He outlines prospects for making progress through other legal means, through the presidency, or through Congress.

Show notes:
– Why the Supreme Court should take up Utah’s public lands case — Defending Ideas https://sutherlandinstitute.org/why-the-supreme-court-should-take-up-utahs-public-lands-case/

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, who was recently inaugurated for a second term, laid out a vision for the next four years for Utah in his inauguration speech. So what does it really take for a state to be successful, and what is Utah's secret?

On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with Aimee Winder Newton, senior advisor to Cox and director of the Utah Office of Families. They break down key themes from the governor's address, which focused on the importance of civic institutions like faith, family and community, and apply them to challenges the state and nation face today.

Show notes:
Governor's Inauguration 2025 - Spencer J. Cox — PBS Utah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR0tdOaXkiA
Sutherland Mission, Vision & Principles https://sutherlandinstitute.org/our-mission/
America’s last great hope — Defending Ideas https://sutherlandinstitute.org/americas-last-great-hope/

If you work harder and earn more, your family should be better off. But for some on the government safety net, that may not always be the case.
 
On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Alex Ruder. Alex serves as Community and Economic Development Director and Principal Adviser for the Atlanta Fed, where he focuses on workforce development topics including benefits cliffs and career pathways.
 
They discuss the right way to define the benefits cliff problem, giving an overview of some tools available to policymakers seeking to fix work disincentives in the safety net.

Show notes:
Mitigating Benefits Cliffs for Low-Income Families: District of Columbia Career Mobility Action Plan as a Case Study — Atlanta Fed https://www.atlantafed.org/-/media/documents/community-development/publications/discussion-papers/2023/01-a-case-study-mitigating-benefits-cliffs-in-the-district-of-columbia.pdf
Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) — Atlanta Fed https://www.atlantafed.org/economic-mobility-and-resilience/advancing-careers-for-low-income-families/cliff-tool
Work & Opportunity Issue Page — Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/work-and-opportunity/

As 2024 winds down, what do the results of this election year mean for the future of politics and policy debates for the United States?

On this episode, we look back on a tumultuous election year and offer a roadmap for a more productive and solutions-focused 2025.

Nic Dunn is joined by Jason Perry, vice president for government relations and the director of the @hinckleyinstitute at the University of Utah, and Maura Carabello, president and owner of Exoro Group. Sutherland President Rick Larsen also returns to the show.

This is the last episode of Defending Ideas for the year. Look for new episodes beginning in early January 2025.

The federal government controls nearly 70% of the land in Utah, and has for a long time. Is this a problem? And if so, what should be done about it?

On this episode, we discuss Utah's new lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on important constitutional questions around federal vs. state management of land. Nic Dunn sits down with Pacific Legal Foundation Legal Fellow Ethan Blevins and Sutherland's Bill Duncan. They give an overview of the public lands issue, Utah's case, and what's next in the legal process.

Should the U.S. Department of Education be abolished? That’s one of the questions that the new presidential administration and the new Congress may grapple with in 2025. But what does this mean for a broader education policy agenda for the next four years?

On this episode, Nic Dunn interviews AEI Senior Fellow Max Eden about the latest national developments in education policy and what they mean for states. Sutherland Institute Education Policy Fellow Christine Cooke Fairbanks also joins the show to articulate how these national shifts may point to a renewal of state and parental empowerment in ways that will benefit students.

Show notes:
Trump should use the education department, not abolish it – Washington Examiner https://www.aei.org/op-eds/trump-should-use-the-education-department-not-abolish-it/
Could Trump's second term forever change federal education policy? – Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/could-trumps-second-term-forever-change-federal-education-policy/
Education Policy Issue Page – Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/policy-education/

This episode of Defending Ideas is a special holiday message. Host Nic Dunn draws from themes of past episodes to offer a framework for navigating political disagreement with loved ones during the holidays.

America is the land of opportunity. So how should we respond when new evidence shows that some families actually feel discouraged from working harder for the American Dream?

On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with Randy Hicks, president and CEO of the @GeorgiaopportunityOrg.They discuss new evidence of how families on the social safety net sometimes feel disincentivized from pursuing work and opportunity, and how the Georgia Center for Opportunity is trying to improve the nation's safety net and empower more families to escape poverty.

Show notes:
Strengthening the American Dream: Addressing benefits cliffs to empower safety net participants to pursue work and opportunity – Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/publications/strengthening-the-american-dream/
Work & Opportunity issue page – Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/work-and-opportunity/
Sutherland launches Work & Opportunity Initiative with new research https://sutherlandinstitute.org/sutherland-launches-work-opportunity-initiative-with-new-research/

The election is over, and we now know the results. So, what’s next for public discourse, election trust, and political polarization? On this episode we continue our special Election Day coverage with part two of a mini-roundtable discussion with Sutherland executives.

Nic Dunn sits down with Sutherland’s Derek Monson and Stan Rasmussen to evaluate what the conclusion of the 2024 election cycle means for the state and nation moving forward.

Show notes:
Opinion: Ensuring the peaceful resolution of future elections – Deseret News https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/11/11/peaceful-resolution-of-american-us-elections/
The most important election? – Defending Ideas https://sutherlandinstitute.org/the-most-important-election/

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Utah’s public lands lawsuit. So what does this mean for the states' prospects for having stronger management of land within their own borders?

On this episode, Nic Dunn is joined by Sutherland Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan to give an update on the status of the public lands dispute between the state of Utah and the federal government. He outlines prospects for making progress through other legal means, through the presidency, or through Congress.

Show notes:
– Why the Supreme Court should take up Utah’s public lands case — Defending Ideas https://sutherlandinstitute.org/why-the-supreme-court-should-take-up-utahs-public-lands-case/

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, who was recently inaugurated for a second term, laid out a vision for the next four years for Utah in his inauguration speech. So what does it really take for a state to be successful, and what is Utah's secret?

On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with Aimee Winder Newton, senior advisor to Cox and director of the Utah Office of Families. They break down key themes from the governor's address, which focused on the importance of civic institutions like faith, family and community, and apply them to challenges the state and nation face today.

Show notes:
Governor's Inauguration 2025 - Spencer J. Cox — PBS Utah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR0tdOaXkiA
Sutherland Mission, Vision & Principles https://sutherlandinstitute.org/our-mission/
America’s last great hope — Defending Ideas https://sutherlandinstitute.org/americas-last-great-hope/

If you work harder and earn more, your family should be better off. But for some on the government safety net, that may not always be the case.
 
On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Alex Ruder. Alex serves as Community and Economic Development Director and Principal Adviser for the Atlanta Fed, where he focuses on workforce development topics including benefits cliffs and career pathways.
 
They discuss the right way to define the benefits cliff problem, giving an overview of some tools available to policymakers seeking to fix work disincentives in the safety net.

Show notes:
Mitigating Benefits Cliffs for Low-Income Families: District of Columbia Career Mobility Action Plan as a Case Study — Atlanta Fed https://www.atlantafed.org/-/media/documents/community-development/publications/discussion-papers/2023/01-a-case-study-mitigating-benefits-cliffs-in-the-district-of-columbia.pdf
Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) — Atlanta Fed https://www.atlantafed.org/economic-mobility-and-resilience/advancing-careers-for-low-income-families/cliff-tool
Work & Opportunity Issue Page — Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/work-and-opportunity/