You Might Be Right

From redistricting to affordability, we’re diving into the issues defining the midterm elections in a new season of "You Might be Right." On Sept. 3, the Season 9 opens with an episode that features former governors Phil Bredesen and Bill Haslam in conversation with Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson and Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg about what voters are really thinking heading into November. Make sure you’re subscribed and follow along so you don’t miss new episodes, dropping every other week.

From the internet and GPS to vaccines and artificial intelligence, federal research funding has helped shape modern life, but should government still play such a large role in innovation? Jeffrey Miron, VP for Research at the Cato Institute and Economics Lecturer at Harvard, and Aldo Musacchio, Professor of Management and Economics at Brandeis, join Governors Haslam and Bredesen to debate whether taxpayer-funded research still makes sense in a world increasingly driven by private capital.

AI is already reshaping everyday life, but the rules governing it are still up for debate. Kristian Stout, Director of Innovation Policy at the International Center for Law & Economics, and Bruce Schneier, security technologist and author, join Governors Haslam and Bredesen to explore whether AI regulation should come from the market, the states, or the federal government.

As billions of federal dollars flow through state budgets, who should decide how that money gets spent? Former IN Governor & OMB Director Mitch Daniels and Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center co-director Elena Patel join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to unpack the balance between federal priorities and state flexibility, and what it means for taxpayers.

Ahead of the fall midterms, Larry Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School, and Brad Smith, former chair of the Federal Election Commission and a professor at Capital University Law School, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to examine the campaign finance system driving election spending. Political spending enables expression and participation – but at what cost?