Assistant Defense Secretary for Energy, Installations and Environment Brendan Owens joined Army, Navy, and Airforce leaders as they testified on poor living conditions in military barracks before a House Armed Services subcommittee. They addressed a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report criticizing the living conditions of military barracks and offering recommendations for oversight of barrack programs. Examples of mold and sewage problems were shown as they discussed how unsafe living conditions can impact quality of life, retention, and recruitment of service members. Additional topics included private-public partnerships to manage housing maintenance, updating labs and testing facilities, access to free Wi-Fi for service members, and updating maritime facilities.
"Together, we must ensure that our state remains the best place to live, raise a family, and launch a business, while strengthening our dynamic economy, creating jobs and making Colorado safer," said Governor Jared Polis (D-CO) during his 2024 State of the State address before a joint session of the state's legislature in Denver. The governor highlighted his policy achievements and shared his vision for the state's future. Gov. Polis touched on several issues, including education, the environment and ecosystem preservation, women's reproductive health care, housing and transportation investment, public safety, and the economy and workforce development.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) delivered his State of the State address before a joint session of the legislature in Charleston. He discussed West Virginia's recent accomplishments in areas such as economic development and infrastructure and also announced several spending proposals, such as $50 million for an agricultural lab at West Virginia State University. Gov. Justice closed his speech by reading a letter from a former high school basketball player he coached, in which the former player described the life lessons he learned from Mr. Justice. This was Gov. Justice's final State of the State speech due to term limits. He is campaigning to succeed U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D) who will not run for another term.
Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-IN) delivered his State of the State address from the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. He celebrated Indiana winning federal partnerships for hubs in clean hydrogen, microelectronics, and biotechnology manufacturing, saying each would result in millions in new investments and thousands of high-paying jobs. He also promised that many goals would come to fruition in 2024, such as teachers' salaries averaging $60,000 per year. 2024 is Gov. Holcomb's final year as Indiana's top executive due to term limits; Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) is among the gubernatorial candidates hoping to succeed him.
Justice Department Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke testified on oversight of her division before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government. She said that "biased-motivated violence" was especially urgent, citing FBI data that hate crimes were at the highest level in more than a decade, with Black people most frequently targeted, as well as increases in crimes motivated by antisemitism, Islamophobia, and bias against sexual orientation or gender identity. She also pushed back against the Republican majority's claims that her division was politically biased, saying it was "committed to full and even-handed" enforcement of the law.
Officials from the Veterans Affairs Department, including Chief Technology Officer Charles Worthington, testified on data privacy and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) before the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization. Several topics were addressed, including data privacy protections, the creation of a framework for AI use, transparency and accountability, and mitigating biases in AI technology.
Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley (Ret.) and former U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie (Ret.) testify on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
White House Budget Director Shalanda Young, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein testify on President Biden's 2025 budget request and the economic outlook before a House Appropriations subcommittee.
What do John Quincy Adams, U.S. Grant, and Howard Taft have in common? Political science professor Stephen Rockwell argued that their 19th century presidencies laid the foundation for the 20th century to be called "The American Century." The University of Virginia's Miller Center hosted this program.
Historians Allen Guelzo, Michelle Krowl, Dana Shoaf, Melissa Winn, and Jonathan White discussed soldiers and civilians who died in the Civil War. This event was part the 2023 Lincoln Forum held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Pastimes Productions executive co-producers Doris Kearns Goodwin and Beth Laski talked about their recent miniseries on Abraham Lincoln's life. This event was part the 2023 Lincoln Forum held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
American History TV toured the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Reception Rooms with director and curator Virginia Hart -- and sat down for an interview about America's first diplomat, Benjamin Franklin, with author Stacy Schiff. The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, beginning in President Kennedy's administration, were designed to reflect America's history and heritage, and to provide a stage for the nation's statecraft.
Foreign Affairs magazine executive editor Stuart Reid recounted the ouster and assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1960-61. This event was hosted by the Africa Center in New York City.