In principle, federal agency missions are set when agencies are created, and so remain rooted in the ambitions of the president and the Congress who decided they were necessary. But in reality, political change tends to transform agencies’ missions in both subject and scope. Understanding how this occurs can clarify the nature of presidential power and the character of constitutional evolution.

Guest Tevi Troy joins us to discuss how agency missions have changed during recent presidential administrations, and how Congress can act to restore the constitutional separation of powers.

Tevi Troy is a senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute, a former deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, and former senior White House aide. He is the author of five books on the presidency, including The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry (Regnery History, 2024).

This podcast discusses themes from Tevi’s essay in the Fall 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Who Gives Federal Agencies Their Purpose?”

Higher education has a civic mission. The public knows that, but faculty and administrators seem to have lost sight of it. Instead of transmitting shared civic principles, universities often frame civics through polarized partisan lenses. Restoring civic education to its unifying role would require teaching democratic practices and constitutional ideals in ways that encourage pluralism rather than entrench division.

Guest Daniel DiSalvo joins us to discuss how civic education can help university students and the broader public disagree better and act together.

Daniel DiSalvo is professor and associate dean of the School of Civic Life and Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He serves on the Public Scholars Advisory Committee of the Moynihan Center and was previously professor of political science at the City College of New York-CUNY.

This podcast discusses themes from an essay by DiSalvo and Carlo Invernizzi Accetti in the Fall 2025 issue of National Affairs: “Civics, Partisanship, and the Academy.”

Has artificial intelligence advanced to the point where robots possess creative abilities and impulses? If so, or if that moment comes, what could it mean for humanity, and what would it demand of us? These are questions at the cutting edge of innovation. Yet to best address them, we need to look to the deepest roots of our society’s moral wisdom.

Guest Michael Rosen joins us to discuss how Jewish tradition and legend can inform our approach to technology.

Michael Rosen is an attorney and writer in Israel, a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and author of Like Silicon from Clay: What Ancient Jewish Wisdom Can Teach Us about AI.

This podcast discusses themes from Michael’s essay, which was adapted from his book for the Summer 2025 issue of National Affairs: “Ancient Wisdom, Modern Tools.”