Political Jar

Science at Risk: Funding the Future of Medical Innovation
2025-09-05 07:30 - 09:30 (America/Chicago) | Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77005, United States
Join us to discuss the future of medical innovation

Regenerative medicine using stem cells stands at the forefront of innovation in health care, offering the potential to treat various medical conditions. Yet, despite the promise of this science, recent federal policy changes have created new barriers to funding, conducting, and approving clinical trials and therapies, posing significant challenges to advancing patient care.
This installment of the Baker Institute’s annual policy lecture series brings together physician-scientist Dr. Emerson Perin and patient advocate Micaela Alpert, who will discuss the future of regenerative medicine. The conversation will explore how to streamline regulatory processes, accelerate the review and approval of clinical protocols, and secure funding for research. Co-sponsored by the Baker Institute Center for Health Policy and The Texas Heart Institute, this event is supported by a grant from the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation.
It is free and open to the public.
Follow @BakerInstitute on X to join the conversation online with #BakerLive.

Livestream—Science at Risk: Funding the Future of Medical Innovation
2025-09-05 08:00 - 09:30 (America/Chicago) | NY
Join us for a livestream event to discuss the future of medical innovation

Regenerative medicine using stem cells stands at the forefront of innovation in health care, offering the potential to treat various medical conditions. Yet, despite the promise of this science, recent federal policy changes have created new barriers to funding, conducting, and approving clinical trials and therapies, posing significant challenges to advancing patient care.
This installment of the Baker Institute’s annual policy lecture series brings together physician-scientist Dr. Emerson Perin and patient advocate Micaela Alpert, who will discuss the future of regenerative medicine. The conversation will explore how to streamline regulatory processes, accelerate the review and approval of clinical protocols, and secure funding for research. Co-sponsored by the Baker Institute Center for Health Policy and The Texas Heart Institute, this event is supported by a grant from the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation.
It is free and open to the public.
Follow @BakerInstitute on X to join the conversation online with #BakerLive.

Employment Situation
2025-09-05 08:30 UTC | Washington, DC

The President makes an announcement
2025-09-05 16:00 (America/New_York) | NY
White House Press Pool

The President hosts a dinner
2025-09-05 19:00, 2025-09-10 19:00 (America/New_York) | NY
Closed Press

The President arrives The White House
2025-09-07 19:10 (America/New_York) | NY
Open Press

The President arrives The White House
2025-09-07 19:10 (America/New_York) | South Lawn

In-Town Pool Call Time
2025-09-08 09:00, 2025-09-10 09:00 (America/New_York) | The White House
In-Town Pool

The President Delivers Remarks to the White House Religious Liberty Commission
2025-09-08 10:10 (America/New_York) | NY
Pre-Credentialed Media

The President Delivers Remarks to the White House Religious Liberty Commission
2025-09-08 10:10 (America/New_York) | Museum of the Bible, Washington

Science Under Siege: A Conversation With Dr. Peter Hotez & Dr. Michael Mann
2025-09-09 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77005, United States
Join us for a discussion with Dr. Peter Hotez & Dr. Michael Mann as they tackle the challenges facing science today.

From pandemics to climate change, the world faces deeply interconnected and critical challenges. Yet efforts to confront these crises are increasingly obstructed by a powerful, organized force: rising opposition to science, often driven by political and ideological agendas. This erosion of trust in scientific expertise not only threatens effective policymaking but also undermines democratic discourse and public health.
Michael E. Mann, a leading climate scientist, and Peter J. Hotez, a renowned vaccine researcher and physician-scientist, have spent decades working at the intersection of science, policy, and public communication. Both have worked to advance evidence-based responses amid a rise in disinformation and denialism, navigating an environment where scientific consensus is increasingly politicized.
This event is a collaboration between the Baker Institute Director’s Lecture Series and the Science and Tech Policy Program‘s Civic Scientist Lecture Series, sponsored by Dr. Virginia Clark, with additional support from Benjamin and Winifer Cheng, Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering, and Weiss School of Natural Sciences. It is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.
A book signing and sale will follow the discussion for Hotez and Mann’s new book, “Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World” (PublicAffairs, 2025).
Follow @BakerInstitute on X and join the conversation online with #BakerLive.

Livestream—Science Under Siege: A Conversation With Dr. Hotez & Dr. Mann
2025-09-09 12:30 - 13:45 (America/Chicago) | NY
Join us for a livestream discussion with Dr. Hotez & Dr. Mann as they tackle the challenges facing science today.

From pandemics to climate change, the world faces deeply interconnected and critical challenges. Yet efforts to confront these crises are increasingly obstructed by a powerful, organized force: rising opposition to science, often driven by political and ideological agendas. This erosion of trust in scientific expertise not only threatens effective policymaking but also undermines democratic discourse and public health.
Michael E. Mann, a leading climate scientist, and Peter J. Hotez, a renowned vaccine researcher and physician-scientist, have spent decades working at the intersection of science, policy, and public communication. Both have worked to advance evidence-based responses amid a rise in disinformation and denialism, navigating an environment where scientific consensus is increasingly politicized.
This event is a collaboration between the Baker Institute Director’s Lecture Series and the Science and Tech Policy Program‘s Civic Scientist Lecture Series, sponsored by Dr. Virginia Clark, with additional support from Benjamin and Winifer Cheng, Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering, and Weiss School of Natural Sciences.
“Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World” (PublicAffairs, 2025).
Follow @BakerInstitute on X and join the conversation online with #BakerLive.

The President signs a Proclamation
2025-09-09 16:30 (America/New_York) | NY

Russian Information and Cyber Warfare Threats
2025-09-09 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | NY
Explore Russia’s evolving cyber warfare tactics in Ukraine and their implications for global security, cyber policy, and modern warfare.

About the Lecture:
This presentation will explore the scope and evolution of Russian information and cyber warfare, drawing key lessons from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Ambassador Smith will begin with an overview of Russia’s cyber capabilities and principal actors, then examine how Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine have developed over time and the implications for Ukraine, the United States, and the future of modern warfare.

About the Speaker:
Ambassador David J. Smith is a foreign policy professional with over 40 years of experience spanning the U.S. military, Pentagon, State Department, Congress, diplomatic delegations, defense industry, research institutes, and democratic development initiatives. His expertise includes NATO, the former Soviet Union, the Caucasus and Black Sea regions, arms control, missile defense, and cybersecurity policy.
A former U.S. Air Force officer and Professor of Cybersecurity Policy at Utica College, Ambassador Smith has served as the U.S. Chief Negotiator at the U.S.-Soviet Defense and Space talks, a Senior Fellow at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, and founder of the Georgian Security Analysis Center. His work in Georgia from 2002 to 2014 placed him at the forefront of studying the first combined kinetic and cyber war during Russia’s 2008 attack on Georgia.
Ambassador Smith has delivered his continually updated presentation, Russian Cyber Capabilities, Policy, and Practice, to audiences around the world since 2010.

Please Note:
A link to join the event via Microsoft Teams will be sent to all registered attendees two days prior to the event. Please keep an eye on your inbox (and check your spam folder just in case). We look forward to seeing you virtually!

Producer Price Index
2025-09-10 08:30 UTC | Washington, DC

The President receives his Intelligence Briefing
2025-09-10 11:30 (America/New_York) | Oval Office

The President receives his Intelligence Briefing
2025-09-10 11:30 (America/New_York) | NY

Grad Workshop: Institutional Choices & Societal Consequences
2025-09-10 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics, 133 South 36th Street, Suite 335, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
From greenwashing to referendums, this workshop explores how institutions shape societal change and minority rights.

Institutional Choices & Societal Consequences
This workshop brings together two emerging scholars whose work critically examines how institutions shape — and often constrain — social and political life.This will be a hybrid event. Register to receive Zoom link, or attend in-person.

Julia Cope (Annenberg School of Communications, University of Pennsylvania) explores how the American advertising industry confronts climate change. Her study of AdAge and Adweek reveals the fragile compromises advertising professionals craft between profit-driven market logics and civic or environmental responsibility. By unpacking these discourses, Cope shows how concerns for sustainability are reframed through brand authenticity and reputation, exposing deeper tensions in neoliberal democratic life.Presenting: Grappling with Green: How the trade press justifies and critiques climate concern in advertising
Kevin Yüh (Rice University / Zhejiang University) analyzes the use of referendums in advancing LGBTQ+ rights, with a focus on Taiwan’s same-sex marriage referendum. Drawing on comparative perspectives across Asia, Yu argues that while direct democracy may appear to empower minority rights, in practice it often undermines them, revealing the complex and sometimes contradictory role of referendums in shaping institutional legitimacy and social change.Presenting: Are Referendums a Bad Idea for the LGBTQ+ Community: Comparative Perspectives From Taiwan to Asia

Together, these presentations highlight how institutional choices — from corporate self-regulation to democratic mechanisms — carry profound societal consequences, shaping the possibilities and limitations of accountability, equity, and justice in the contemporary world. Full bios and paper abstracts are available on amc.sas.upenn.edu. Register to receive full papers.Lunch provided!

The President hosts a dinner
2025-09-10 19:00 (America/New_York) | Rose Garden

Consumer Price Index
2025-09-11 08:30 UTC | Washington, DC

Real Earnings
2025-09-11 08:30 UTC | Washington, DC

The President and the First Lady attend a September 11th Observance Event
2025-09-11 08:45 (America/New_York) | The Pentagon
Out-of-Town Travel Pool

Out-of-Town Pool Call Time
2025-09-11 14:15 (America/New_York) | NY

Out-of-Town Pool Call Time
2025-09-11 14:15 (America/New_York) | Joint Base Andrews

The President departs The White House en route New York, New York
2025-09-11 16:00 (America/New_York) | South Lawn

The President attends the Yankees Baseball Game
2025-09-11 19:00 (America/New_York) | Yankees Stadium, Bronx, NY
