Latest Interviews
Showing 106–120 of 275 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute6 min
Katrin Ericson | LeadersLink
Rungstone Research Program Executive Director Katrine Erickson joined the Faster Cures Leaders Link initiative to develop a venture philanthropy roadmap for its mission to prevent leukemia in Runx1 familial platelet disorder patients. To address the scarcity of successful models and gather strategic insights, Erickson launched the *Cures Playbook* podcast, engaging biotech executives and academics to define the viability of funding high-risk therapies. Key findings from this expert network identified that successful venture philanthropy requires deep disease mechanism knowledge, a minimum capital threshold of one million dollars, and a robust community of patient advocates and scientific leaders.
- Milken Institute26 min
Inclusive Capitalism Fireside Chats: A Conversation With John Rogers and Blair Smith
Jared Rogers, chairman of Ariel Investments and a descendant of Tulsa's historic Black business legacy, addresses the two-decade collapse of Chicago's Black corporate sector by leveraging his thirty-year tenure on major corporate boards to enforce accountability and diversity. To reverse this erasure, he spearheads strategic initiatives like Project Black, a private equity fund for scalable Black enterprises, alongside educational programs in the stock market and university endowments designed to cultivate the next generation of financial leaders. These efforts, supported by a sustained post-2020 shift in institutional commitment, aim to reconstruct the high-value economic ecosystem that once defined the city's Black business community.
- Milken Institute30 min
Building Community Wealth: How Can We Meet the Moment
Margot Brandenburg, Natalie Foster, Shawn Wooden
Ford Foundation host Margo Brandenburg facilitated a dialogue with Natalie Foster and Connecticut Treasurer Sean Wooden on utilizing community wealth strategies to address the widening racial and economic divide. Foster highlighted the Child Tax Credit's success in reducing child poverty while Wooden detailed Connecticut's pioneering Baby Bonds program as a model for closing the generational wealth gap through state-level innovation. The conversation further examined how public sector expansions of guaranteed income, social bonds, and anti-monopoly policies are reshaping labor markets and providing essential financial buffers during economic volatility.
- Milken Institute30 min
A Conversation with Brian Deese, Director, White House National Economic Council
Following the American Rescue Plan, the U.S. achieved historic economic growth in 2021, with GDP expansion between 5% and 6% and a significant decline in child poverty and evictions. Now, the administration is leveraging these funds alongside the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, led by Mitch Landrieu, to deploy 21st-century industrial strategies that address supply chain bottlenecks and accelerate private capital investment in clean energy. Despite current pressures from the Omicron variant and geopolitical instability, officials emphasize a "bottom-up" approach to sustain recovery while ensuring long-term climate resilience and regional equity.
- Milken Institute20 min
A Conversation With Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York
Kathy Hochul, Michael Piwowar, Richard Ravitch
Governor Hochul is fortifying New York State's fiscal reserves against potential crises while rejecting tax hikes to stem the out-migration of high-net-worth individuals. Simultaneously, she is collaborating with New York City Mayor Adams on subway safety initiatives and advancing the delayed congestion pricing plan to secure MTA funding. Her administration also prioritized keeping schools open during the Omicron surge through widespread testing and is incentivizing the construction of 100,000 affordable housing units to address long-term economic stability.
- Milken Institute26 min
Fintech in Focus: Michael Greenwald on the Digital Asset Space
Michael Greenwald, Kate Goldman
China is intensifying its crackdown on cryptocurrency transactions to consolidate state control and challenge the US dollar's global dominance, a move that pressures the Federal Reserve to accelerate digital dollar innovation despite internal divisions on the timeline. Analysts warn that without a coordinated "Digital Asset Bretton Woods" framework involving G7 allies and a proactive national security strategy, the US risks falling behind in the emerging geopolitical contest between authoritarian and non-authoritarian digital finance systems. Experts argue that achieving bipartisan legislative clarity and establishing a "Digital Asset Bill of Rights" will be essential to create a robust regulatory environment where centralized and decentralized payment rails can coexist.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
The Future of Everything: How Technology is Changing the World
Staci Warden, Michael Milken, Rajeev Misra, Drhuv Saxena, Yakir Gola
Hosted by Stacey Worden, this session features Milken Institute Chairman Mike Milken alongside SoftBank CEO Rajiv Misra and CEOs Drew Saxena and Yakir Gola to analyze how the pandemic accelerated global technological transformation in supply chains, healthcare, and finance. The discussion details significant operational shifts, such as ShipBob's infrastructure for small e-commerce businesses and GoPuff's micro-fulfillment network, while highlighting how reduced costs of capital and AI integration are lowering barriers for new market entrants. Panelists conclude that digital adoption and remote work trends are permanent, creating enduring value in life sciences and human capital despite emerging supply chain congestion.
- Milken Institute32 min
A Conversation with US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar
Health Secretary Alex Azar and federal officials address the current U.S. pandemic surge, which shows a 14% weekly case increase driven by indoor gatherings and mitigation fatigue, while firmly rejecting national mandates in favor of public education and declining to pursue a herd immunity strategy. Clinical and operational updates highlight a mortality rate drop for adults to below 10% due to improved therapeutics and a phased vaccine rollout targeting vulnerable populations by December under Operation Warp Speed, with regulatory approval authority reserved for independent FDA scientists. Despite clinical trial pauses for some candidates to ensure safety, the administration confirms adequate state funding, broad jurisdictional planning, and commercial-scale manufacturing commitments from major pharmaceutical firms to support the upcoming distribution schedule.
- Milken Institute32 min
A Conversation with California Governor Gavin Newsom
California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the state's unprecedented challenges, including the loss of 1.62 million jobs, historic wildfires, and a severe homelessness crisis, while defending its resilience as the world's fifth-largest economy. Despite admitting early reopening errors, his administration implemented aggressive testing expansions, waived environmental regulations for housing, and launched a $617 million homeless shelter initiative to stabilize demographics and infrastructure. Newsom concluded by advocating for direct democracy reforms and maintaining the state's global innovation leadership despite claims of business flight and political polarization.
- Milken Institute34 min
A Conversation with US House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn & Former US Attorney General Eric Holder
Congressman James Clyburn outlined a strategic plan to address pandemic recovery and systemic societal fractures if Democrats secure a unified government in January 2021, emphasizing the need to repair historical fault lines in healthcare, housing, and education. He criticized the current electoral and voting systems as vulnerable to suppression and non-linear societal swings, advocating for eliminating the filibuster for civil rights, restoring the Voting Rights Act, and granting statehood to Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Drawing on the resilience of figures like John Lewis, Clyburn urged activists to prioritize organized turnout in the 2020 election while framing "Trumpism" as a recurring national challenge requiring constant institutional repair to ensure a stable future for the next generation.
- Milken Institute29 min
A Conversation with US Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao
Elaine Chao, Brian Sullivan, Brian Sondheim
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao emphasized that the FAA will not recertify the Boeing 737 MAX until it is deemed safe, while simultaneously overseeing a nearly 50% budget increase to fund over $300 billion in infrastructure projects including $4 billion for the MTA. Amidst a pandemic recovery that has seen passenger volumes rebound to one million daily, the Department prioritizes rebuilding public trust through widespread safety measures and economic aid totaling $86 billion for transportation industries. The administration further established an Emerging Transportation Technology Council to regulate innovations like autonomous vehicles and air taxis, aiming to balance safety with private sector growth without endorsing specific technologies.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
The State of State and Local with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Lori Lightfoot, Emily Brock, Austan Goolsbee, Michael Piwowar, Tobias Read, Elizabeth Reich, Simone Brody, Mike Pivovar
Led by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, city officials and economic experts convened to address Chicago's $1.2 billion pandemic-induced deficit while discussing nationwide strategies for fiscal recovery. Panelists highlighted the critical need for unrestricted federal stimulus to offset plummeting tax revenues in the service and tourism sectors, contrasting current challenges with the structural vulnerabilities revealed by the 2008 recession. Participants also outlined long-term approaches to bridge these gaps, including Chicago's $750 million equity investment in underfunded neighborhoods and proposals to reform public education and municipal borrowing practices.
- Milken Institute1h 15m
A Season of Playoffs: Redefining Sports in Challenging Times
Linda, Todd Boley, Chris Paul, Kim Tagula, Richard Sherman
During the 2020 season, prominent athletes and leagues like the NBA, WNBA, and MLS shifted from a traditionally apolitical stance to active social justice advocacy, utilizing platforms such as the Orlando bubble and player-initiated jersey messages to address systemic racism following high-profile incidents involving Black Lives Matter. Concurrently, the sports industry navigated severe economic disruptions caused by the pandemic, which forced salary cap reductions, operational volatility, and a reevaluation of revenue streams while simultaneously sparking increased fan engagement and voter registration initiatives. Experts project a recovery by 2022 driven by scalable testing protocols and a renewed focus on community connection, with organizations prioritizing long-term financial literacy and diversity funding over short-term profit to sustain the sector.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
In Search for a Cure: Are We Nearing a Treatment for COVID-19?
Dr Anthony Fauci, Albert Bourla, Esther Krofah, Meg Tirrell
Dr. Anthony Fauci and Pfizer executives outlined the current U.S. pandemic crisis, characterized by rising infections among young demographics and projected second-wave risks in the fall due to premature reopening and asymptomatic spread. While addressing safety protocols like sample pooling for testing and the inclusion of vulnerable populations in trials, Pfizer anticipates initiating Phase 3 trials in July with a potential vaccine rollout by late 2020 or early 2021. Simultaneously, clinical guidelines have been updated to include dexamethasone for severe cases, though experts emphasize that continued public health measures remain essential until herd immunity is achieved.
- Milken Institute30 min
A Conversation with Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President and CEO James Bullard
St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard argues that while the U.S. economy has adapted more resiliently than initially feared through remote work and essential business pivots, policymakers must abandon strategies waiting for a vaccine in favor of managing a virus that will circulate long-term. Bullard emphasizes that the Federal Reserve faces the complex task of stabilizing the economy without freezing out shrinking sectors like airlines, while simultaneously addressing persistent racial employment gaps and the risk of low inflation expectations. Despite skepticism regarding current epidemiological and economic models, he advocates for transparent committee operations and aggressive fiscal-monetary support to prevent a deeper depression and avert a secondary financial crisis.