In observance of Labor Day, the next edition of the Hoover Daily Report will be published on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
This Friday, Eric Hanushek argues that debates about AI use in education shouldn’t detract from a core focus on improving student learning outcomes; Philip Zelikow discusses national security threats twenty-five years after the 9/11 terror attacks; and Dominic Parker explains how voluntary conservation easements can yield significant benefits for both landowners and their neighbors.
Education
At Freedom Frequency, Senior Fellow Eric A. Hanushek argues that while the artificial-intelligence future is full of unknowns, one thing is certain: Educated students will manage change better than those left behind. AI is already changing classrooms, he writes, but new technology is only part of the story. The more meaningful question is how to make sure more students get a good education, he says, because that skill is essential for adapting to the future labor force. One implication of that fact is that too much emphasis on particular occupations is misguided; as Hanushek notes, no one yet knows the makeup of the AI workforce. “AI may itself be a useful general tool, or it may be an impediment to improving our schools,” Hanushek writes. “But AI’s wonder and glamor should not distract our attention from aggressively pursuing policies that reverse existing downward trends in student outcomes.” Read more here.
National Security and History
Senior Fellow Philip Zelikow served as the executive director of the 9/11 Commission. He joined the NatSec Tech podcast this week to discuss the security landscape today. Noting the importance of avoiding complacency in the face of continued international terror threats, Zelikow says that the nation is safer today than before the 9/11 attacks. While “the internet has been an accelerant,” by facilitating radicalization and community building among violent actors, Zelikow points out that groups like al-Qaeda by and large do not enjoy “substantial sanctuaries” like pre–9/11 Afghanistan, where recruiting and training operations were carried out freely. Zelikow argues that centering issues like the Arab–Israeli conflict in analyses of terror threats against the United States “deeply misunderstands these [terror] groups and what motivates them.” What motivates terror groups like al-Qaeda is not a particular US foreign policy stance, Zelikow explains: “They hate what the United States represents culturally and religiously.” Watch or listen here.
Environmental Economics
Conservation easements offer a way for landowners to keep certain core property rights, like the ability to live, work, and recreate on their land, while agreeing with interested parties to avoid certain land uses, like commercial or large-scale housing development, Senior Fellow Dominic Parker explains on The Land Bulletin podcast. Communities can lock in “environmental benefits associated with undeveloped land,” like watershed quality and scenic open spaces. The typical benefits for landowners, Parker says, are tax benefits. Conservation easement arrangements avoid the pitfalls of top-down government mandates on land use restrictions, which provide no compensation to affected landowners, and preserve private ownership (unlike state or trust ownership of land). The conversation explores the bipartisan coalition in support of conservation easements while also considering some arguments against their use. Listen here.
Defense Technology
How can venture capitalism help to spur innovations in defense technology aligned with the evolving security needs of the United States and its allies?
The Big Idea: Distinguished Visiting Fellow Dan Berkenstock, coauthor of a recent Hoover report, Mobilize the Modern Defense Industrial Base, joins Distinguished Policy Fellow Bill Whalen to discuss how investor incentives ultimately shape what companies, including defense tech startups, will or won’t do. The conversation explores how defense leaders in government can align incentives to encourage the development of needed military capabilities. Watch or listen here.
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