September 19, 2025 • 6 mins
This Friday, Niall Ferguson tells students that academic freedom and constitutional governance will endure as long as citizens keep up their efforts to maintain them; Scott Atlas analyses the social and mental health challenges facing Gen Z as well as possible remedies; and David Berkey reflects on editing 100 issues of Strategika, Hoover’s premier publication dedicated to revitalizing military history in academia.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to the Hoover Daily Report,Ideas Advancing Freedom.
It's Friday, September 19th, 2025.
>> Female Speaker 1 (00:07):
This Friday,
Niall Ferguson tells students thatacademic freedom and constitutional
governance will endure as long as citizenskeep up their efforts to maintain them.
Scott Atlas analyzes the social andmental health challenges facing Gen Z,
as well as possible remedies.
And David Berkey reflects onediting 100 issues of Strategica,
(00:29):
Hoover's premier publication dedicated torevitalizing military history in academia.
>> Male Speaker 1 (00:34):
Constitutions of Liberty, Political and Academic.
At his substack, Senior Fellow NeilFerguson has published the transcript of
a speech he gave at the Universityof Austin, a private
college he co-founded on Constitution andCitizenship Day, September 17th.
In the speech, Ferguson scans ourpolitical landscape, noting the impact
(00:55):
of illiberal ideological capture ofcertain academic disciplines and
the consequences of a decline inthe teaching of Western civilization.
The distinguished historian alsoexamines claims of rising fascism in
the United States and finds themconcerningly disconnected from the facts
of 20th century fascism in Italy andGermany.
(01:15):
The prelude to dictatorship isoften civil war or anarchy.
Americans may be polarized, butthey are not at war with one another,
argues Ferguson.
While acknowledging threats to theconstitutional order at home and abroad,
Ferguson concludes thatacademic freedom and
self government can be maintainedwith deliberate effort.
>> Female Speaker 1 (01:34):
Understanding and Saving Gen Z to Save America.
In a column at Real Clear Politics,Senior Fellow Scott W Atlas examines
the social and technological factorsthat have negatively impacted Gen Z or
those born between 1997 and 2012.
Atlas cites high daily averagescreen time of around 9 hours and
inflammatory ideological influencesfrom politicians and academics as major
(01:57):
drivers of this generation's poor mentalhealth, high degree of loneliness, and
propensity to condone violent responsesto speech they consider threatening.
Examining how negative mental health and
behavioral trends among this group couldbe reversed, Atlas says legal top down
interventions are are less likelyto work than individual efforts.
(02:18):
Atlas calls on older generations toseek out opportunities to mentor rising
leaders within Gen Z committed tothe principles of a free society.
Efforts like these demand couragefrom us and from them, writes Atlas.
>> Male Speaker 1 (02:32):
Strategica at 100, The Importance of Thinking Ahead,
with David Berkey.
After 12 years of commissioning leadingminds to write about the history of
humans at war in strategica,Hoover Research Fellow David Berkey says
the work they generate can sometimesinadvertently illustrate the future.
Berkey works with members of Hoover'sMilitary History in Contemporary Conflict
(02:54):
working Group and guest contributors tostrategica to curate entries, select art,
and together withHoover Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hansen,
decide on the overall topic of each issue.
And often, he says, the ideas that becomeopinion pieces in the journal spark
wider thought among militarythinkers going forward, strategica
often looks ahead to issues that mightnot be in the forefront of the news but
(03:18):
are very critical topics,burkey said in an interview.
We're not trying to followthe news cycle at strategica yet
the strategica team is alwaystrying to think ahead, burky said.
It's uncanny how sometimeswe will release an issue and
then six months later it will becomea topic that will figure in news stories.
>> Female Speaker 1 (03:38):
Place Attachments, Theory, and Measurement for
Political Science why are some peopleheavily invested in their local
communities while others prioritizeparticipation in national politics?
In a new paper,Hoover fellows Hans Lueders and
Elizabeth Elder link this variationto people's local attachments or
the emotional and affective bonds thattie them to a particular locality.
(04:00):
Their new measure of place attachments,developed and tested using original survey
data from the United States and Germany,finds that many voters have strong bonds
to the place where they live, that theseattachments vary little with partisanship,
voter demographics, andobjective measures of place quality, and
that they are equally strong in urban andrural areas.
(04:21):
This work is part of a broader projectsupported by Hoover's center for
Revitalizing American Institutionsthat seeks to understand geographic
divides in the United States andchallenges the conventional focus on urban
rural divides andthe identities formed around them.
>> Male Speaker 1 (04:38):
Examining Medicaid's New Work Requirements and
the Affordability of Social Security Twonew short videos from
the Hoover Institution's Tenenbaum Programfor Fact Based Policy
address policy challenges facing coreAmerican social benefits programs.
Medicaid andSocial Security starting in 2027,
the one big Beautiful Bill act willrequire able bodied Medicaid enrollees
(05:02):
ages 19 to 55 to complete 20 hoursof weekly community engagement,
such as paid work,job training, or volunteering.
Although there are broad exemptions forchildren, pregnant women, and people with
disabilities, the Congressional BudgetOffice estimates these requirements will
lead to 4.8 million fewer able bodiedadults enrolling in Medicaid by 2034,
(05:24):
significantly alteringthe program's scope.
In the second video, Senior Fellow John F.
Kogan considers whether America can affordits current Social Security promises.
Kogan argues that Congress could securethe program's longer term viability by
limiting the growth of future benefitsto the rate of inflation without cutting
current payments to retirees.
>> Female Speaker 1 (05:45):
Featured Research Initiative,
Hoover Program on the Foundationsof Economic Prosperity.
The Hoover Program on the Foundationsof Economic Prosperity is dedicated to
producing research that empowers citizensand policymakers to make informed
decisions on around a core question, whatcombination of institutions, policies,
and regulations is most likely tofoster long term economic prosperity?
>> Male Speaker 1 (06:09):
That's your Hoover Daily report for Friday, September 19th,
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 atStanford University is is grounded in
constitutional principles with acommitment to sustaining the safeguards of
(06:31):
the American way of life.
Thank you for listening.
For links to all the articles andinterviews mentioned today,
visit hoover.org/hdr.
Welcome to the Hoover Daily Report,Ideas Advancing Freedom.
It's Friday, September 19th, 2025.
>> Female Speaker 1 (00:07):
This Friday,
Niall Ferguson tells students thatacademic freedom and constitutional
governance will endure as long as citizenskeep up their efforts to maintain them.
Scott Atlas analyzes the social andmental health challenges facing Gen Z,
as well as possible remedies.
And David Berkey reflects onediting 100 issues of Strategica,
(00:29):
Hoover's premier publication dedicated torevitalizing military history in academia.
>> Male Speaker 1 (00:34):
Constitutions of Liberty, Political and Academic.
At his substack, Senior Fellow NeilFerguson has published the transcript of
a speech he gave at the Universityof Austin, a private
college he co-founded on Constitution andCitizenship Day, September 17th.
In the speech, Ferguson scans ourpolitical landscape, noting the impact
(00:55):
of illiberal ideological capture ofcertain academic disciplines and
the consequences of a decline inthe teaching of Western civilization.
The distinguished historian alsoexamines claims of rising fascism in
the United States and finds themconcerningly disconnected from the facts
of 20th century fascism in Italy andGermany.
(01:15):
The prelude to dictatorship isoften civil war or anarchy.
Americans may be polarized, butthey are not at war with one another,
argues Ferguson.
While acknowledging threats to theconstitutional order at home and abroad,
Ferguson concludes thatacademic freedom and
self government can be maintainedwith deliberate effort.
>> Female Speaker 1 (01:34):
Understanding and Saving Gen Z to Save America.
In a column at Real Clear Politics,Senior Fellow Scott W Atlas examines
the social and technological factorsthat have negatively impacted Gen Z or
those born between 1997 and 2012.
Atlas cites high daily averagescreen time of around 9 hours and
inflammatory ideological influencesfrom politicians and academics as major
(01:57):
drivers of this generation's poor mentalhealth, high degree of loneliness, and
propensity to condone violent responsesto speech they consider threatening.
Examining how negative mental health and
behavioral trends among this group couldbe reversed, Atlas says legal top down
interventions are are less likelyto work than individual efforts.
(02:18):
Atlas calls on older generations toseek out opportunities to mentor rising
leaders within Gen Z committed tothe principles of a free society.
Efforts like these demand couragefrom us and from them, writes Atlas.
>> Male Speaker 1 (02:32):
Strategica at 100, The Importance of Thinking Ahead,
with David Berkey.
After 12 years of commissioning leadingminds to write about the history of
humans at war in strategica,Hoover Research Fellow David Berkey says
the work they generate can sometimesinadvertently illustrate the future.
Berkey works with members of Hoover'sMilitary History in Contemporary Conflict
(02:54):
working Group and guest contributors tostrategica to curate entries, select art,
and together withHoover Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hansen,
decide on the overall topic of each issue.
And often, he says, the ideas that becomeopinion pieces in the journal spark
wider thought among militarythinkers going forward, strategica
often looks ahead to issues that mightnot be in the forefront of the news but
(03:18):
are very critical topics,burkey said in an interview.
We're not trying to followthe news cycle at strategica yet
the strategica team is alwaystrying to think ahead, burky said.
It's uncanny how sometimeswe will release an issue and
then six months later it will becomea topic that will figure in news stories.
>> Female Speaker 1 (03:38):
Place Attachments, Theory, and Measurement for
Political Science why are some peopleheavily invested in their local
communities while others prioritizeparticipation in national politics?
In a new paper,Hoover fellows Hans Lueders and
Elizabeth Elder link this variationto people's local attachments or
the emotional and affective bonds thattie them to a particular locality.
(04:00):
Their new measure of place attachments,developed and tested using original survey
data from the United States and Germany,finds that many voters have strong bonds
to the place where they live, that theseattachments vary little with partisanship,
voter demographics, andobjective measures of place quality, and
that they are equally strong in urban andrural areas.
(04:21):
This work is part of a broader projectsupported by Hoover's center for
Revitalizing American Institutionsthat seeks to understand geographic
divides in the United States andchallenges the conventional focus on urban
rural divides andthe identities formed around them.
>> Male Speaker 1 (04:38):
Examining Medicaid's New Work Requirements and
the Affordability of Social Security Twonew short videos from
the Hoover Institution's Tenenbaum Programfor Fact Based Policy
address policy challenges facing coreAmerican social benefits programs.
Medicaid andSocial Security starting in 2027,
the one big Beautiful Bill act willrequire able bodied Medicaid enrollees
(05:02):
ages 19 to 55 to complete 20 hoursof weekly community engagement,
such as paid work,job training, or volunteering.
Although there are broad exemptions forchildren, pregnant women, and people with
disabilities, the Congressional BudgetOffice estimates these requirements will
lead to 4.8 million fewer able bodiedadults enrolling in Medicaid by 2034,
(05:24):
significantly alteringthe program's scope.
In the second video, Senior Fellow John F.
Kogan considers whether America can affordits current Social Security promises.
Kogan argues that Congress could securethe program's longer term viability by
limiting the growth of future benefitsto the rate of inflation without cutting
current payments to retirees.
>> Female Speaker 1 (05:45):
Featured Research Initiative,
Hoover Program on the Foundationsof Economic Prosperity.
The Hoover Program on the Foundationsof Economic Prosperity is dedicated to
producing research that empowers citizensand policymakers to make informed
decisions on around a core question, whatcombination of institutions, policies,
and regulations is most likely tofoster long term economic prosperity?
>> Male Speaker 1 (06:09):
That's your Hoover Daily report for Friday, September 19th,
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 atStanford University is is grounded in
constitutional principles with acommitment to sustaining the safeguards of
(06:31):
the American way of life.
Thank you for listening.
For links to all the articles andinterviews mentioned today,
visit hoover.org/hdr.
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