Hoover Daily Report | August 7, 2025

In today’s Report:

Lanhee Chen criticizes Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed partisan gerrymander of California’s congressional districts.

Bill Whalen interviews Niall Ferguson about his rise from early setbacks in Scotland to global historical eminence and knighthood. 

And Elizabeth Economy speaks with Noah Barkin about Europe’s experience with the China challenge in trade and geopolitics. 

Hoover Daily Report | August 7, 2025

Episode Transcript

>> Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Hoover Daily Report.
Ideas Advancing Freedom It's Thursday,August 7, 2025.

>> Speaker 2 (00:06):
In today's report, Lan Hee Chen criticizes Governor Gavin Newsom's
proposed partisan gerrymander ofCalifornia's congressional districts.
Bill Whelan interviews Neil Ferguson abouthis rise from early setbacks in Scotland
to global historical eminence andknighthood and Elizabeth Economy speaks
with Noah Barkin about Europe's experiencewith the China Challenge in trade and

(00:27):
geopolitics.

>> Speaker 1 (00:29):
Newsom's cynical redistricting ploy should be rejected
by voters.
Writing at the Los Angeles Times OpinionSection, research fellow Lanhee J.
Chen argues that California governorGavin Newsom's political ambitions have
reached a new low as Newsom and
State Assembly Democrats plan to counterTexas Republicans proposed partisan
gerrymander with a partisangerrymander of their own.

(00:52):
Chen stresses that in 2008 and 2010,California voters explicitly placed
the drawing of district lines in the handsof an independent citizens commission to
take politicians out of the process,making the Newsom redistricting proposal
a contravention of California law andthe expressed will of the state's voters.
Chen maintains that by, quote,

(01:13):
bending electoral rules in service oftheir own political interests, Newsom and
California Democrats become no betterthan Abbott and Texas Republicans.
The good news,
according to Chen, is that Californiavoters will have the opportunity
to reject the proposed gerrymanderat the ballot box this November.

>> Speaker 2 (01:30):
Neil Ferguson the Flying Scotsman how does a young Scotsman go from
struggling actor and failed politicianto internationally acclaimed and
knighted historian?
In a solo installment of Goodfellows,Sir Neil Ferguson,
Hoover's Milbanke Family Senior Fellow,
speaks with distinguished Policy fellowBill Whelan about his academic journey,

(01:51):
fellow historians he admires, and keys tosuccessfully multitasking through life.
Ferguson also shares how he and hisspouse, research fellow Ayaan Hirsi Ali,
who also appears in this episode,are raising their two sons.
Also discussed Sir Neil'snewfound passion for sailing,
his non Scottish attitude toward golf andfishing,

(02:12):
why he doesn't see retirement as a viablelifestyle, plus the pride he takes
in a music legend recently lauding himas the Jimi Hendrix of his profession.

>> Speaker 1 (02:21):
Europe's China Challenge with Noah Barkin for
China Considered Senior Fellow ElizabethEconomy interviews Noah Barkin,
senior advisor with the Rhodium Group,about the evolving EU China relationship
following their July 2025 summitcelebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties.
Barkin traces Europe's awakeningto the China challenge and

(02:42):
China's designation as a systemic rival in2019, explaining how the European Union
has developed its own distinct approachto managing Chinese economic competition.
The conversation explores why China'sstrategy of leveraging Trump era US Europe
tensions to drive a wedge betweenallies has largely failed,
with Europe maintaining its criticalstance on issues like Chinese overcapacity

(03:05):
and support for Russia.
Drawing on his expertise from Berlin,Barkin offers insights into whether Europe
can maintain unity on China policy andand what tools the EU needs to address
the growing economic and securitychallenges posed by Chinese behavior.

>> Speaker 2 (03:21):
Quantitative Risk Analysis A number free Introduction to
the Method Sound policy decision making,especially in the US China relationship,
involves understanding riskuncertainties and their consequences.
Quantitative methods of risk analysisdetermine failure probabilities,
providing a basis forrational risk management.

(03:42):
Quantitative probabilistic analysisrequires factual analysis independent of
personal biases based onknown scenarios and outcomes.
A new report from the Hoover programon the U.S. china and the World by
Stanford School of Engineering professorElizabeth Pate Cornell provides
a conceptual introduction to the topic forpolicy professionals.
Using examples from surgical anesthesia,spacecraft,

(04:05):
heat shields, andAI supported cyber attack warnings,
the paper emphasizes that no scenariocan be entirely without risk.
Managing risk is therefore more importantand realistic than avoiding risk.

>> Speaker 1 (04:17):
Casey Mulligan, Sworn in as Chief Counsel for advocacy at the U.S.
small Business Administration Writingat his substack Environmental and
Urban Economics Visiting Fellow Matthew E.
Kahn reacts to the newsthat Senior Fellow Casey B.
Mulligan has been sworn in to the positionof Chief Counsel for Advocacy and
at the U.S. small Business Administration.

(04:37):
I have known Casey foralmost 35 years now, writes Khan.
I predict that he will apply rigorous costbenefit analysis to examining the rules
and regulations thataffect small businesses.
He is an expert on the political economyof interest group competition, and
he is always studying the unintendedconsequences of regulation and
attempting to measure who gainsfrom existing rules of the game.

(05:00):
I am impressed with Casey'swillingness to serve his country, and
I anticipate that he will do great work.
Kahn notes that he will beinterested to see how Mulligan and
his colleagues address, quote,industries where small firms face major
disadvantages due to existing rules andregulations.

>> Speaker 2 (05:18):
This month in Hoover History Hoover YouGov August 2023
Citizenship Survey In August 2023, Hoover,in collaboration with YouGov Commission,
conducted a survey concerning the stateof American citizenship in 2023.
Hoover Senior Fellow Chester E.
Finn Jr. Analyzed these findings in hisessay the State of American Citizenship

(05:40):
2023, which can be found onhoover.org that's your Hoover.

>> Speaker 1 (05:44):
Daily Report for Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Each weekday we bring you research,analysis and commentary focused on public
policy, national security, and the ideasshaping American society and government.
The Hoover Institution at StanfordUniversity is grounded in constitutional
principles with a commitment tosustaining the safeguards of the American

(06:05):
way of life.
Thank you for listening.
For links to all the articles andinterviews mentioned today,
visit Hoover.org HDR.