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From election meddling and economic espionage to financial fraud and personal identity theft, it’s becoming clear that cybersecurity is increasingly central to every aspect of the way we live. Both state-sponsored cyber-spies and transnational organized crime groups pose urgent threats online to our nation’s critical infrastructure, our security, and our fundamental values...
The Founders created a representative republic rather than a direct democracy, designed to slow down deliberation so that majorities could rule based on reason rather than passion. But in the age of Facebook and Twitter, new social media technologies have unleashed populist passions and accelerated public discourse to warp speed, creating the very mobs, demagogues, echo ch...
Readers, viewers, and subscribers want and need accurate news and information, but as we attempt to navigate among publishers and platforms and networks, who is ultimately responsible for telling us the truth? Who should be held accountable for information that is inaccurate, intentionally misleading, or straight-up fake? And what can media and information organizations do...
From roads and bridges to electrical grids and internet provision, infrastructure systems across America are in dire need of maintenance — putting everything from the country’s economic performance to public health at risk. Knowing the stakes, it will take a concerted bipartisan effort and a vast budget to put reconstruction plans into action. In this conversation with US...
America’s heartland is quietly upending traditional notions of how cities work to deliver on their promise of shared prosperity. This means local governments, philanthropy, and the private sector have to work together and work differently. Jennifer Bradley of the Center for Urban Innovation and Rip Rapson of the Kresge Foundation discuss how leaders from Detroit, Fresno, M...
For too long, minority groups have been overlooked in art and media. They have been underrepresented and misrepresented, resulting in negative biases and stereotypes. The tide is starting to shift, and yet, as many aspects of inclusion and representation push forward, attention to religious diversity lags behind. Accurately portraying the full spectrum of American religiou...
The United States is experiencing a critical shortage of healthcare workers—with labor market data showing a 3.2 million worker deficit by 2026. The growing crisis is causing disruptions across the healthcare landscape, but novel care models and new technology show promise in revolutionizing care delivery. How are hospitals leveraging existing technology and teams to reima...
Today’s kids are facing a mental health crisis unlike any before them, with rates of severe loneliness, anxiety, and depressive episodes reaching new heights. It’s an urgent concern with far-reaching impacts, especially for those in historically marginalized communities who too often do not have access to the help they need. How can organizations leverage their scale to ma...
Cancer is on the rise in Africa, with the World Health Organization predicting that by 2020, it will take the lives of one million people a year across the continent. The most common forms of the disease in Africa -- breast, cervical and prostate cancers -- are also the most treatable, but drugs have been in scarce supply, and the price of treatment remains a huge obstacle...
As the world continues to grow, there are more mouths to feed. With emerging markets, biotechnology in the agricultural sector contributes to market stability and aids in providing the resources necessary to continue economic growth in the developing world. On every continent, these shifts are apparent and farmers and the agribusiness are striving to adapt accordingly. Fro...
As the nation’s top doctor, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy helps to advance the health and well-being of all Americans. He has described the growing youth mental health crisis in America as the “defining public health crisis of our time” and warned that social media carries a “profound risk of harm to the mental health of children and adolescents.” Murthy has also highlig...
Our coffee makers, phone chargers, washing machines — our lives — are powered by the humble flip of a switch or press of a button. And it’s easy to lose sight of where the energy that powers our everyday conveniences comes from. Fossil fuels, predominantly through transportation and electricity, account for roughly 74 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions. As the principa...
An advanced nuclear power plant is coming to Wyoming. Funded by Bill Gates’ TerraPower, it will use cutting edge technology that aims to provide safer and more sustainable nuclear energy. Wyoming’s governor and the company’s CEO share their optimism, address concerns around technology, and expand on the bumpy road to building nuclear power in America.
For our annual signature event in the Benedict Music Tent, the 2018 Aspen Ideas Festival hosts former secretary of state John Kerry in a candid conversation about geopolitics with Andrea Mitchell. Immediately afterward, in collaboration with Theatre Aspen, Ideas Festival presents a live performance by Broadway actors followed by panel discussions examining the historical a...
How will government survive without the skill of tech superstars among its ranks? Jen Pahlka’s Code for America was launched with the mission to use the principles and practices of the digital age to rebuild the institutions we rely on for our democracy. Kathleen Janus, whose recent book took her around the country meeting top social entrepreneurs, guides this conversation...
In America today, your understanding of the truth rests upon who you are, where you live, and who gets your vote. It’s no surprise then that trust in the media, once a given, is equally fractured — presenting a danger not only to democracy but to the fabric of society itself. Through a perilous maze of political identities, how can the news deliver the facts and reunite us...
Robert Mueller made clear the bottom line of his investigation: Russia attacked our democracy — and, as he said, every American should focus on that. Instead, recent news reports reveal that the Department of Homeland Security wasn't even allowed to bring up the threat of election attacks with President Trump. As candidates hit the 2020 campaign trail, what should the Unit...
There’s a mental health crisis plaguing America’s youth. The last decade saw major increases in adolescents who reported having a depressive episode, and “serious loneliness” affected a majority of young adults—and the global pandemic has likely worsened these conditions. The stats are staggering, but we need to do more than just talk about them, and come together as paren...
What’s the future of streaming, disinformation, and building greater trust among audiences? A conversation with César Conde, the leader of NBCU News Group, the largest news organization in the United States, reaching more than eight in ten Americans each month.
While internet connectivity, technology, and digital skills are central to every part of modern life, the unfortunate reality is that millions of Americans have been left behind. We’ll discuss how transformational investment in digital equity and inclusion is helping close the digital divide.