September 26, 2025 • 6 mins
This Friday, Eugene Volokh previews his forthcoming article on the First Amendment’s protections for “addictive” speech, press, and religious activity; Barry Strauss speaks with Andrew Roberts about two centuries of ancient Jewish revolt against the Roman empire; and Joshua Rauh explains why addressing entitlement spending will be key to restoring America’s fiscal balance and preserving the nation’s prosperity.
Hoover Daily Report | September 26, 2025
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>> Female (00:00):
Welcome to the Hoover Daily Report.
Ideas Advancing Freedom It's Friday,September 26, 2025.
>> Male (00:08):
This Friday, Eugene Volok previews his forthcoming article on
the First Amendment's protections foraddictive speech, press and
religious activity.
Barry Strauss speaks with Andrew Robertsabout two centuries of ancient Jewish
revolt against the Roman Empire, andJoshua Rao explains why addressing
entitlement spending will be key torestoring America's fiscal balance and
(00:30):
preserving the nation's prosperity.
>> Female (00:32):
Addiction to Constitutionally Protected speech, press,
and Religion at his blog on the Reasonsite, Senior Fellow Eugene Volok previews
a forthcoming article he is preparing foran Emory Law Journal symposium on
the constitutional concerns raised bylawmakers seeking to regulate addictive
practices that are protectedby the First Amendment.
(00:54):
Volok notes that when it comes toregulating behaviors like gambling or
consuming alcohol, legislatures must ask,when should the freedom of some,
even of many,be restricted to prevent harm to others?
But when behavior is alsoconstitutionally protected,
the problem becomes more difficult.
Restricting the constitutional rights ofsome in order to prevent harms, especially
(01:18):
self inflicted harms to others, generallyrequires much more justification.
Volok's article will focus on freeexercise rights and free speech and
free press rights to illustrate thatwhether a behavior is addictive or not is
not a sufficient basis for justifyinggovernment restrictions on that activity.
>> Male (01:36):
Jews vs Rome Barry Strauss on Two Centuries of Jewish Revolt why did
the Jews keep fighting rome forover 200 years,
long after the Great Revoltended in disaster?
Speaking with distinguishedVisiting Fellow Andrew Roberts for
Secrets of Statecraft,Hoover Senior Fellow Barry Strauss
discusses the epic story ofJudea's rebellions against
(01:57):
the world's most powerful empireas told in his new book, Jews vs.
Two Centuries of Rebellion againstthe World's Mightiest Empire.
From the fall of Jerusalem and the siegeof Masada to the guerrilla war of
Bar Kokhba, Strauss reveals the keyplayers stunning twists and
surprising alliances, including ancientIran's role as an ally of the Jews.
(02:19):
Strauss also describes unforgettablecharacters like Herod the Great Josephus,
the historian turned traitor andfearless queens who shaped the fight.
Packed with ancient drama andlessons for today,
Strauss's book brings one of history'smost remarkable struggles to life.
>> Female (02:34):
Can we fix deficits without entitlement reform?
Entitlements drive federal spending, andwithout reform, deficits will mount.
Testing the Nation's FiscalResilience A new short video from
Hoover's Tenenbaum Program for Fact BasedPolicy features Senior Fellow Joshua D.
Rao discussing the challenge of fiscalpolicy improvement absent entitlement
(02:54):
reform.
Focusing on Medicare, Medicaid,and Social Security, Rao says.
Without addressing these entitlements,
we will not be able torestore fiscal balance.
Rao encourages Congress to look for
ways to make these largeprograms more cost efficient.
While noting that spending cuts are apossible solution, Rao maintains that
Congress is unlikely to raise taxesdirectly to fund entitlement programs.
(03:18):
This raises the concerning possibilitythat we're going to continue on a path of
large deficits untilthe consequence is inflation.
>> Male (03:25):
Supply constraints do not explain house price and
quantity growth across U.S.cities on Wednesday, September 24,
Hoover's economic policy workingGroup hosted an event on supply
Constraints Do Not Explain House Price andQuantity Growth across US Cities.
A recent paper by Johannes Vland of theFederal Reserve bank of San Francisco and
(03:47):
University of California, San Diegowith Skylar Louie and John Mondragon.
The authors write that the standard viewof housing markets holds that differences
in the flexibility of local housingsupply, shaped by factors like geography
and regulation,explain differences in how house price and
quantity growth respond to risingdemand across U.S. cities.
(04:10):
But the authors find that higher incomegrowth predicts the same growth in house
prices across cities.
This suggests that, quote, relaxingregulatory housing supply constraints may
not materially affecthousing affordability.
>> Female (04:24):
NATO, Russia and
China what does it take to negotiatenuclear arms deals with Vladimir Putin?
Diplomat andresearch fellow Rose Godemuller,
one of America's foremostleaders on nuclear diplomacy and
also a former deputy secretarygeneral of NATO, knows firsthand.
In a conversation withJoel Rubin at the Siren,
Gautamuller responds to Putin's recentannouncement of Russia's willingness to
(04:47):
extend the New START accord, the veryagreement she negotiated with Moscow as
chief US Arms control negotiator duringher service in the Obama administration.
Gautam Mueller explains the high stakesworld of nuclear diplomacy, what Putin's
recent proposal really means, why histiming matters, and how democratic systems
can enhance negotiation effectivenessagainst autocratic counterparts.
(05:11):
She also explains why nuclearnegotiations must be kept separate from
other geopolitical conflictslike Ukraine to be effective,
and why Putin's offers maybe strategic distractions.
>> Male (05:23):
Featured Research Initiative Technology Policy Accelerator
the Hoover Institution TechnologyPolicy Accelerator seeks to understand
the drivers and dynamics of technologicalinnovation in the 21st century,
assess the opportunities and risks thatbreakthrough technologies are creating,
and develop governance approachesthat maximize the benefits and
(05:43):
mitigate the risks forthe nation and the world.
Facts and objective analysisare the keys to the approach.
>> Female (05:49):
That's your Hoover Daily report for Friday, September 26, 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 grounded
in constitutional principles with acommitment to sustaining the safeguards of
(06:11):
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 26, 2025.
>> Male (00:08):
This Friday, Eugene Volok previews his forthcoming article on
the First Amendment's protections foraddictive speech, press and
religious activity.
Barry Strauss speaks with Andrew Robertsabout two centuries of ancient Jewish
revolt against the Roman Empire, andJoshua Rao explains why addressing
entitlement spending will be key torestoring America's fiscal balance and
(00:30):
preserving the nation's prosperity.
>> Female (00:32):
Addiction to Constitutionally Protected speech, press,
and Religion at his blog on the Reasonsite, Senior Fellow Eugene Volok previews
a forthcoming article he is preparing foran Emory Law Journal symposium on
the constitutional concerns raised bylawmakers seeking to regulate addictive
practices that are protectedby the First Amendment.
(00:54):
Volok notes that when it comes toregulating behaviors like gambling or
consuming alcohol, legislatures must ask,when should the freedom of some,
even of many,be restricted to prevent harm to others?
But when behavior is alsoconstitutionally protected,
the problem becomes more difficult.
Restricting the constitutional rights ofsome in order to prevent harms, especially
(01:18):
self inflicted harms to others, generallyrequires much more justification.
Volok's article will focus on freeexercise rights and free speech and
free press rights to illustrate thatwhether a behavior is addictive or not is
not a sufficient basis for justifyinggovernment restrictions on that activity.
>> Male (01:36):
Jews vs Rome Barry Strauss on Two Centuries of Jewish Revolt why did
the Jews keep fighting rome forover 200 years,
long after the Great Revoltended in disaster?
Speaking with distinguishedVisiting Fellow Andrew Roberts for
Secrets of Statecraft,Hoover Senior Fellow Barry Strauss
discusses the epic story ofJudea's rebellions against
(01:57):
the world's most powerful empireas told in his new book, Jews vs.
Two Centuries of Rebellion againstthe World's Mightiest Empire.
From the fall of Jerusalem and the siegeof Masada to the guerrilla war of
Bar Kokhba, Strauss reveals the keyplayers stunning twists and
surprising alliances, including ancientIran's role as an ally of the Jews.
(02:19):
Strauss also describes unforgettablecharacters like Herod the Great Josephus,
the historian turned traitor andfearless queens who shaped the fight.
Packed with ancient drama andlessons for today,
Strauss's book brings one of history'smost remarkable struggles to life.
>> Female (02:34):
Can we fix deficits without entitlement reform?
Entitlements drive federal spending, andwithout reform, deficits will mount.
Testing the Nation's FiscalResilience A new short video from
Hoover's Tenenbaum Program for Fact BasedPolicy features Senior Fellow Joshua D.
Rao discussing the challenge of fiscalpolicy improvement absent entitlement
(02:54):
reform.
Focusing on Medicare, Medicaid,and Social Security, Rao says.
Without addressing these entitlements,
we will not be able torestore fiscal balance.
Rao encourages Congress to look for
ways to make these largeprograms more cost efficient.
While noting that spending cuts are apossible solution, Rao maintains that
Congress is unlikely to raise taxesdirectly to fund entitlement programs.
(03:18):
This raises the concerning possibilitythat we're going to continue on a path of
large deficits untilthe consequence is inflation.
>> Male (03:25):
Supply constraints do not explain house price and
quantity growth across U.S.cities on Wednesday, September 24,
Hoover's economic policy workingGroup hosted an event on supply
Constraints Do Not Explain House Price andQuantity Growth across US Cities.
A recent paper by Johannes Vland of theFederal Reserve bank of San Francisco and
(03:47):
University of California, San Diegowith Skylar Louie and John Mondragon.
The authors write that the standard viewof housing markets holds that differences
in the flexibility of local housingsupply, shaped by factors like geography
and regulation,explain differences in how house price and
quantity growth respond to risingdemand across U.S. cities.
(04:10):
But the authors find that higher incomegrowth predicts the same growth in house
prices across cities.
This suggests that, quote, relaxingregulatory housing supply constraints may
not materially affecthousing affordability.
>> Female (04:24):
NATO, Russia and
China what does it take to negotiatenuclear arms deals with Vladimir Putin?
Diplomat andresearch fellow Rose Godemuller,
one of America's foremostleaders on nuclear diplomacy and
also a former deputy secretarygeneral of NATO, knows firsthand.
In a conversation withJoel Rubin at the Siren,
Gautamuller responds to Putin's recentannouncement of Russia's willingness to
(04:47):
extend the New START accord, the veryagreement she negotiated with Moscow as
chief US Arms control negotiator duringher service in the Obama administration.
Gautam Mueller explains the high stakesworld of nuclear diplomacy, what Putin's
recent proposal really means, why histiming matters, and how democratic systems
can enhance negotiation effectivenessagainst autocratic counterparts.
(05:11):
She also explains why nuclearnegotiations must be kept separate from
other geopolitical conflictslike Ukraine to be effective,
and why Putin's offers maybe strategic distractions.
>> Male (05:23):
Featured Research Initiative Technology Policy Accelerator
the Hoover Institution TechnologyPolicy Accelerator seeks to understand
the drivers and dynamics of technologicalinnovation in the 21st century,
assess the opportunities and risks thatbreakthrough technologies are creating,
and develop governance approachesthat maximize the benefits and
(05:43):
mitigate the risks forthe nation and the world.
Facts and objective analysisare the keys to the approach.
>> Female (05:49):
That's your Hoover Daily report for Friday, September 26, 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 grounded
in constitutional principles with acommitment to sustaining the safeguards of
(06:11):
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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