Aspen Ideas to Go

After the deadliest terror attacks in United States history occurred the morning of September 11, 2001, sweeping changes to security were put in place. The 9/11 attacks gave rise to the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Congress passed the Patriot Act and President George W. Bush declared a global war on terror, leading to the detention of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Now, 25 years later, the effects of the nation’s large-scale security response linger. NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly asks former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales whether the measures adopted then should still be used today. The speakers, who were all involved in the 9/11 response, share sobering memories of that day. Their conversation was held in June.

The current appeal of authoritarian regimes around the world is raising questions about whether democracy has a future. What’s sparking these political backlashes and what has soured voters on democratic systems and values? Stanford political scientist and the author of “The End of History,” Francis Fukuyama , joins Canadian journalist-turned-politician Chrystia Freeland and New York Times columnist David French at the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival for an informed and varied conversation taking a harder look at democracy. CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria moderates the discussion.

With the midterm elections on the horizon, will voters overcome a fraught electoral battlefield to show up at the polls? Threats to the electoral system such as polarization, misinformation, campaign finance, redistricting, and limits to the Voting Rights Act are reducing voters’ trust. How can the system be rebuilt in a way that inspires confidence across the political spectrum? Heather Gerken leads a conversation with Rick Hasen , Janai Nelson , Sarah Isgur , and Ben Ginsburg . Gerken is president of the Ford Foundation; Hasen is a professor of law at UCLA; Nelson is President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund; Isgur is editor of SCOTUSblog ; and Ginsburg is a political law advocate.

China’s ups and downs reverberate across the globe, and unpredictability from Washington has been throwing another wrench into the equation. Good diplomacy and an open trade relationship between these two superpowers is essential, but the playbook keeps changing. In this talk from the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival, three experts on U.S.-China relations bring us up to date on technological advances, economic leverage and national security, among other foreign policy affairs. Dan Wang , a research fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, joins Melanie Hart of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub and Julian Gewirtz , a research fellow at Columbia University and the Asia Society. CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria moderates and guides the panel.

In an era of executive overreach, Congress and the Supreme Court are becoming less effective at reigning in presidential power. America’s three branches of government–the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial–were created to regulate each other. But the nation’s founders didn’t anticipate headwinds like the rise of modern political parties. A healthier inter-branch dynamic is needed, says a panel of leading scholars, to create a stable environment for the American concept of government to succeed. Journalist John Dickerson leads a conversation with Georgetown Law Professor Stephen Vladeck , Harvard Law Professor Jack Goldsmith , and Maya Kornberg , a senior research fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.

With so many problems in the world, it can be easy to skip over what’s actually working. But while progress often isn’t linear, history tells us that a lot of societal issues have actually improved. The experts on this panel help us see those bright spots and reframe our thinking to include hopeful visions for the future. Greg Jackson , a professor at Utah Valley University and the host of the “History Doesn’t Suck!” podcast joins Google Labs editorial director Steven Johnson and the host of the “What Could Go Right?” podcast, Zachary Karabell , for a wide-ranging discussion at the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival about breaking through the doom and gloom.

Since the conflict in Iran began in February, the results have been mixed. It has degraded Iran’s nuclear capacity, reduced its missile arsenal, and sunk its navy. But the war has also closed the Strait of Hormuz, divided America’s Gulf allies, fractured the U.S.-Israeli relationship, and failed to achieve objectives like regime change and nuclear elimination. A panel of Iran experts with different perspectives discuss whether the conflict could mark the end of the Islamic Republic’s long strategy of proxy warfare or the beginning of a far more dangerous Middle East. Journalist and author Fareed Zakaria leads the conversation with Kim Ghattas , Karim Sadjadpour , and Mark Dubowitz . Ghattas is an Emmy-award winning journalist. Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mark Dubowitz is CEO of Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Their conversation was held June 29.

In an increasingly polarized nation with a divided Congress, the rulings of the Supreme Court’s latest term were as closely watched as ever. The justices took on decisions about birthright citizenship, voting rights, transgender athletes and many other hot button issues, with sometimes surprising results. Immediately after the term wrapped, three experts on the court met onstage at the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival to discuss what these rulings say about the future of the court and American law. And they touch on the big question hovering over all recent decisions – has the court become too politicized? Colleen Sinzdak is a Supreme Court and Appellate partner at Milbank, Melissa Murray is an NYU law professor, and Sarah Isgur is the editor of SCOTUSblog. The panelists don’t hold back as moderator Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW keeps the conversation on track.

Before this month’s semiquincentennial celebration, the United States’ last milestone anniversary was in 1976–during a difficult period. “The 1970s were a rough time–9 percent unemployment, 15 percent inflation, violent crime tripled, divorce rates tripled. It was a rough time,” says David Brooks , staff writer for The Atlantic . Still, he says, it was a unifying and uplifting moment. He asks Danielle Allen , Reihan Salam , Martha Jones , and Shilo Brooks how today is different from the bicentennial and whether the original ideas that bound us together–laid out in the Declaration of Independence–still apply. Allen is political science professor at Harvard; Salam is president of the Manhattan Institute; Jones is a professor at John Hopkins University; and Shilo Brooks is president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and pervasive, how will it affect our work, our lives, and our ability to connect? Brené Brown , research professor and best-selling author says she hears a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, What makes us human will ensure our relevance . This is dangerous because, as she explains, we’re not especially good at what makes us human. We’re not hardwired for the current level of uncertainty, and many of us feel as if the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us. Brown joins Kate Crawford , AI scholar and University of Southern California professor, who points out that so much of what’s driving our feelings of emptiness and disconnection around AI is rooted in the fact that artificial intelligence is fundamentally a technology of extraction – it depends on the intensive exploitation of raw materials, human labor, and personal data. Together, Drs. Brown and Crawford encourage us to advocate for authentic connection over algorithmic convenience. This episode will be our last for a few weeks as we pause for the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival . We will be back in mid-July with new content featuring brilliant thinkers and inspiring leaders.

The teachings offered by ancient religious texts are timeless and full of wisdom for today’s world. When hope can be difficult to find in contemporary society, sacred traditions sometimes fill the gap, with help from the interpretations of scholars. In this talk from the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Princeton historian and professor of religion Elaine Pagels unpacks the truths at the center of her life’s work. She talks with writer Pico Iyer about where to look for enduring guidance and how the world’s faiths talk to each other and fit into our daily modern lives. Pagels is the author of many books, most recently “Miracles and Wonders: The Historical Mystery of Jesus.”

Leaders who truly inspire and get the best out of people are few and far between. How do they learn to gain trust and rally a group to action? Steve Kerr has been coaching the Golden State Warriors NBA team for 11 years, four of which have been champion seasons. He joins Maryland Governor Wes Moore , who became the first Black person to hold that office after combat in the Army and a career fighting poverty, for a discussion about leading with respect and purpose. CBS co-anchor John Dickerson moderates the conversation.

Over the last 50 years or so, the divide between winners and losers in the United States has been deepening, says author and philosopher Michael Sandel . In the era of globalization, inequalities in income and wealth have widened and changed attitudes around success. “Those who landed on top have come to believe that their success was their own doing–a measure of merit. By implication, those who struggle and are left behind, must deserve their fate too,” says Sandel. He says this meritocratic thinking has poisoned our politics and eroded civil life. He tells playwright Anna Deavere Smith how to restore a vision of the common good. Sandel is a Harvard professor and author of The Tyranny of Merit . Smith, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated performer, reads an original work about the complexities of merit.

For those who knew her, Lilly Ledbetter was humble, smart, and determined. For the rest of us, she is a symbol of unequal treatment of women in the workplace. A landmark law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, bears her name and was the result of years of tireless activism. She sued her employer, Goodyear Tire, after she discovered her pay was as much as $2,000 less a month than her male counterparts. Her case went to the Supreme Court and eventually Congress. The civil rights attorney who represented her, Jon Goldfarb , joins Patricia Clarkson and Suzanne Malveaux for a moving conversation that celebrates Ledbetter’s life and legacy. Clarkson, an award-winning actor, portrays Ledbetter in the 2024 film “Lilly” and Malveaux, a former CNN reporter and CEO of Malveaux Global Media, reported on Ledbetter’s fight.

What does it look like to hope in the face of tough times and undeniable challenges? The speakers in today’s talk might describe true hope as more than a passive platitude, but something closer to a muscle that needs exercise. Krista Tippett, the creator and host of the public radio show “On Being,” reunites with young adult author and MacArthur grantee Jason Reynolds to continue their multi-year conversation about how to find resilience in a world full of obstacles. They explore the relationship between fear and hope, and share experiences of finding light and connection in unexpected places.

Volatile political and economic conditions make projections about building future wealth difficult in today’s world. This discussion with economic and investment experts spans from the bird’s eye view to the kitchen table, shedding some light on the blend of factors that move our money. David Rubenstein , the co-founder of the Carlyle Group joins consultant and NYU economics professor emeritus Nouriel Roubini and Arjun Sethi , the co-CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, on stage at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival. The executive editorial director of Fortune, Diane Brady , moderates the conversation.

Public exhaustion with top-down decisions about our built environment spurred American progressivists to work successfully over the past several decades to democratize development processes. Community voices can now be heard, but has the pendulum swung too far in the other direction? With many cities facing housing crises and urban infrastructure decay, solutions can be slow-going. In this talk, architect Vishaan Chakrabarti , found of PAU (Practice of Architecture and Urbanism) joins Brown University public affairs fellow Marc Dunkelman for a discussion about removing unnecessary roadblocks and speeding up progress. CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria , who is the 2025 and 2026 guest curator of the Aspen Ideas Festival, moderates the conversation.

Young people today report feeling sad, anxious, hopeless, and lonely. The youth mental health crisis in the United States has grown in recent years but the adults in kids’ lives can help–with the right tools. Lisa Damour is a best-selling author and psychologist who specializes in the development of teenagers. She joins Sema Sgaier , co-founder and CEO of Surgo Health, and Christopher Pepper , co-author of Talk to Your Boys: 16 Conversations to Help Tweens and Teens Grow into Confident, Caring Young Men , about how to support the emotional lives of children. Jacqueline Howard , health reporter for CNN, moderates their conversation.

What are the solutions to slowing the harmful effects of climate change? Could a plausible one be to block some sun to cool the planet? It may sound far-fetched but scientists are studying solar radiation management as one potential tool in the toolbox. But–it’s a controversial one. Could it be our emergency escape hatch, or a devastating Pandora’s Box? Two environmental pioneers discuss dimming the sun and other tactics to manage climate risk. Energy and Climate Editor for The Economist Vijay Vaitheeswaran speaks with Fred Krupp , president of Environmental Defense Fund, and David Keith , director of the Climate Systems Engineering Initiative at the University of Chicago.

Growing up in New Jersey without any connections to media, it wasn’t obvious that Jonathan Capehart would become the successful journalist and commentator he is today. But the MS NOW co-host was focused and driven, and kept asking questions until he landed where he wanted to be. He tells the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival audience how he got from one world to another, and how as a Black gay man he’s often felt between spaces. His memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from A Black Man’s Search for Home” came out just before the festival. Preet Bharara , NYU law scholar and attorney at Wilmer Hale, interviews Capehart.