Join Congressman Brett Guthrie, who represents Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District, for Cupcakes and Conversation in Littauer 166. Congressman Guthrie is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and went on to serve as a Field Artillery Officer in the 101^st Airborne Division – Air Assault at Fort Campbell.  He serves on the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for the 115th Congress.

The Politics of Globalization: How Trade Became a Four-Letter Word

As international trade agreements and norms have evolved over time, rules and disciplines have been created around issues ranging from agriculture, to goods (manufactured and others), services and in areas like intellectual property. In the world of the digital economy in which we live, trade rules are being considered that will impact the role of the Internet and data flows across national borders. Specifically, will trade principles enshrine a free and open Internet favoring open cross-border data flows OR will more restricted data flows and concepts of national “digital sovereignty” apply instead?

Guest: Robert Holleyman, Deputy United States Trade Representative (2014-2017) and President & CEO of the Business Software Alliance, the trade consortium that represents the interest of major software houses globally.

Join the IOP's Harvard Political Union and SOUTTH (Southerners Organizing Urgent Transformation Through Harvard College) for Pizza and Politics with Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes!

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is Kentucky's 76th Secretary of State and the youngest female Secretary of State in the nation, one of few statewide-elected women in the South. Her bipartisan efforts are recognized nationally for economic development and election administration. Among her achievements is the establishment of GoVoteKY.com, the Commonwealth's online voter registration portal. Her election initiatives protect the right to vote for all Kentuckians, especially military voters, voters with disabilities, and victims of domestic violence. She is an advocate for early voting for all Kentuckians.

When President Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity requested Secretaries of State to provide sensitive voter information on registered voters in every state, Secretary Grimes memorably responded on MSNBC, with the majority support of other Secretaries behind her: "There's not enough bourbon here in Kentucky to make this request seem sensible... Not on my watch are we going to be releasing sensitive information that relate to the privacy of individuals."

As Kentucky's chief business official, Grimes implemented the Commonwealth's first online business portal and streamlined state laws to help grow Kentucky's economy. Grimes and her husband, Andrew, live in Lexington.

RSVP on Facebook. 

This event has been postponed due to weather.

A Conversation with
David Jolly
Congressman (R-FL 13, 2014-2017)
Analyst, CNN & MSNBC
Patrick Murphy
Congressman (D-FL 18, 2013-2017)
Mark Gearan (Moderator)
Director, Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School

Platforms, Networks, and New Power Technology’s Impact on Politics, Policy, and Elections

Since the 2016 election, much of the conversation about technology’s impact has been focused on America, but these global platforms are at the heart of some of the most pivotal societal changes around the world. From the halls of the European Commission to the corridors of the African Union, the world's decision-makers are grappling to figure out how to regulate and engage with platform technologies. Join Adam and Elizabeth Linder, founder of Facebook's Politics & Government division for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, founder, and CEO of the Conversational Century, and currently, a Senior Consulting Fellow at London-based Chatham House to discuss the international perspective on technology platforms.

Guest: Elizabeth Linder, founder of Facebook's Politics & Government division for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, founder, and CEO of the Conversational Century, and currently, a Senior Consulting Fellow at London-based Chatham House.

A Mayor for Change: Tackling National Issues at the Local Level 

A Conversation with Executive Director of TakeAction Minnesota Dan McGrath.

What does it look like to organize on a local level? Local organizing has been especially important for electoral success, and with midterms coming up this fall, it is as important as ever. TakeAction Minnesota is a people’s network and nationwide leader of local organizing, advocating for issue campaigns like minimum wage and Ban the Box. 

Guest: Dan McGrath, Executive Director of TakeAction Minnesota

Are We Still in This Together? The Death of Parties, the Rise of Tribalism in American Politics and What It Portends for Our Future

Americans go to their respective corners for news and information. So who decides which voices are heard on cable TV? Join CNN Political Commentator Scott Jennings and Rebecca Kutler, Vice-President of Content Development and Contributors for CNN, to discuss America’s fragmented political discourse. Hear directly from someone behind the scenes who enormously impacts our national conversation.

Guest: Rebecca Kutler, Vice-President of Content Development and Contributors for CNN

A Conversation with Students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School:
Ryan Deitsch
Matt Deitsch
Emma Gonzalez
David Hogg
Cameron Kasky
Alex Wind

Meighan Stone (Moderator)
Fellow, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, HKS (2017)
President, Malala Fund (2015-2017)

Welcome Remarks by
Mark Gearan
Director, Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School

There will not be a study group this week. 

Beyond The Campaign Tactics: The Intersection of Politics and Policy 

The media often decry lack of substance in campaigns, but how do they cover policy proposals in the context of an election? Immigration reform has been a focus of much coverage over the past year and continues to be. The impact of new media has been significant in this debate.

Guests: Paul Gigot, Wall Street Journal Editorial Page Editor and Mike McCurry, former Press Secretary to President Bill Clinton

The Politics of Globalization: How Trade Became a Four-Letter Word

In trade deals, there have always been winners and losers, but one thing policymakers have failed to often do is illustrate this point and the net benefits of having deals. We’ll look at where previous trade deals have failed, how the new trade deals of the twenty-first century can rectify these issues and help workers on both sides of the trade deal while continuing to preserve the benefits that make trade essential to the global economy.

Guest: Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, and former Chief Economist and Economic Advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden.

Lessons in Leadership: A Conversation with Cornell Brooks
Visiting Professor of Social Ethics, Law & Justice, BU School of Theology and BU School of Law and former President & CEO, NAACP