The NEW Look

Nationwide, millions of children, adults, and veterans have endured a traumatic experience which, left untreated, can have lasting health consequences. In the face of increased social isolation and this pandemic, Americans’ exposure to trauma is on the rise. While conversations surrounding the Coronavirus rightly focus on our physical health, we can’t neglect the toll it has taken on our mental health as well. But in what ways can we better prioritize our mental health and support those in our communities dealing with trauma?

On this special episode, Rep. Gallagher examines the concept of trauma-informed care, a transformative way to help millions of Americans overcome the long-term effects of trauma. To do so, he is joined by Wisconsinites who helped champion this practice across the state: Tonette Walker, former First Lady of Wisconsin; Amy Herbst, Vice President of Mental and Behavioral Health at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee; Ann Leinfelder Grove, President and CEO at SaintA’s; and Peg Burrington, Library Director at Waupaca Municipal Library.

These individuals not only helped integrate trauma-informed care within their communities, but helped make Wisconsin the country’s first trauma-informed state. With their help, Rep. Gallagher breaks down why we need to prioritize mental health and how we can all use trauma-informed care to help our communities get through these challenging times.

The Coronavirus has been, in many ways, a clarifying moment. One thing that has been made abundantly clear is we are over-reliant on foreign adversaries for critical medicines and technologies. This needs to change. Onshoring these important industries is both an economic and national security, but in order to accomplish this task, the United States will have to grapple with how to accelerate innovation and investment and how to build a 21st century workforce to maintain our competitiveness.

On this episode, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Dr. Michael McQuade, a member of the Defense Innovation Board and the Vice President of Research at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. McQuade, a physicist turned innovator turned academic, is at the forefront of developing talent in fields from 5G to AI, and helps analyze why we need to bring high-tech industries back to the United States, particularly in the Midwest. And while the conversation covers everything from physics to the Endless Frontier Act, given Dr. McQuade’s Pittsburgh roots, Rep. Gallagher makes sure the conversation isn’t without references to Super Bowl XLV as well.

The Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), co-chaired by Rep. Gallagher, brought together members of Congress, representatives from the federal government, and professionals in the private sector to provide strategic guidance on how to best defend ourselves against cyber threats. For nearly a year, the CSC’s 14 Commissioners met almost every week to discuss issues ranging from election interference to intellectual property theft, and this year published more than 75 recommendations on how to address these threats.

On this episode of the NEW Look podcast, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Suzanne Spaulding, one of the CSC’s 14 commissioners and a senior adviser for homeland security at Center for Strategic and International Studies. Suzanne, who previously served as an under secretary for the Department of Homeland Security focused on cyber issues, has spent a career working to better protect the United States from national security threats, and joins the podcast to highlight the commission’s work and the importance of defending our elections from foreign interference.

The 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) and the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) both argue that the United States’ central challenge is the reemergence of great power competition. In the military domain, this competition boils down to the United States’ ability to deter China from attacking the United States and our allies or established partners, which will require a major shift American defense planning and execution. But is the U.S. prepared to make the necessary changes required to meet this challenge, and if not, what questions should defense officials be asking to get there?

To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Dr. Andy Krepinevich, president and chief operating officer of Solarium LLC, a defense consulting firm, and founder of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Dr. Krepinevich, who served on the staff of three different secretaries of defense, has played a leading role in defense planning throughout his career and breaks down the security challenges we face and ways the U.S. can better prepare for these challenges (in addition to demonstrating an expertise in Packers trivia). You can read more of his work here.

Cyberspace is a decisive battlefield that puts every American – wittingly or not – on the frontline of a new kind of conflict. As our world becomes increasingly connected, it’s incumbent upon us all to understand the threats we face and how we can better protect our nation, ourselves and our interests online.

On this NEW Look podcast, Rep. Gallagher breaks down the country’s challenges in cyberspace with Dmitri Alperovitch, Executive Chairman of the non-profit Silverado Policy Accelerator. Dmitri, who co-founded CrowdStrike and served as their Chief Technology Officer, is a well-known cybersecurity expert and helps analyze the national security challenges posed by cyber threats, as well as tips that help us all improve our cyber hygiene. Now in his new role chairing Silverado,  Dmitri is helping harvest new ideas and accelerate policy action in the areas of cybersecurity, great power competition and american competitiveness. Follow him on Twitter (@DAlperovitch) for more insights into cyber and national security challenges.

Confusion, chaos, and in some cases outright conspiracy has surrounded the Postal Service this past week, fueled by stories in the media that USPS, allegedly under the President’s direction, was having mailboxes removed and mail sorting machines dismantled as a way to prevent mail-in voting. This is a dangerous lie that has the potential to undermine the country’s faith not just in the post office, but in the upcoming election.

On this episode of the NEW Look podcast, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Kevin Kosar, Vice President of Research Partnerships at the R Street Institute, to discuss how we got to where we are and the perfect storm of events that led to all this chaos. Having studied the issue for more than 14 years, Kevin is one of the nation’s leading scholars on postal issues and breaks down the current outlook for the Postal Service while debunking the myths surrounding post office operations this week. Follow him on Twitter (@KevinRKosar) for more updates and materials on USPS.

Developing a comprehensive strategy to compete with China requires a strong understanding of what’s happening in the Indo-Pacific region, both past and present. To explore the history of Asia and how it impacts the geopolitics of today, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Michael Auslin, the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow in Contemporary Asia at the Hoover Institution, on this episode of the NEW Look podcast.

Michael is a renowned historian and the author of numerous books on the subject, including Asia's New Geopolitics: Essays on Reshaping the Indo-Pacific and the best-selling The End of the Asian Century:  War, Stagnation, and the Risks to the World's Most Dynamic Region. He has previously worked as an associate professor of history at Yale University, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo.

Cyberspace is a decisive battlefield that puts every American – wittingly or not – on the frontline of a new kind of conflict. Yet while the threats in this domain are severe, the United States has for years lacked a plan to combat these challenges. To address this problem, the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the creation of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a bipartisan commission tasked with providing strategic guidance and policy recommendations on how to defend ourselves against cyber threats that is chaired by Rep. Gallagher and Senator Angus King (I-ME).

On this NEW Look podcast, Rep. Gallagher is joined by his fellow co-chair Senator Angus King to discuss these threats and the Commission’s recommendations to ensure our country is better equipped to defend itself in cyberspace. Senator King, who in addition to being an avid Packers fan is also one of three Independents in Congress, also details the unique way in which he came into politics and ways he works to cut through partisanship and build stronger relationships with his colleagues.

In 2018, Rep. Gallagher wrote an extensive piece in The Atlantic that grappled with one topic: How to Fix Congress. The problem, he concluded, “...is not the people. The problem is a defective process and a power structure that...funnels all power to leadership and stifles debate and initiative within the ranks.” In the piece, he put forward three solutions based on his own observations to help make the institution better serve the American people. Two years later, he decided to explore the topic of improving Congress by gathering suggestions from members who recently announced they would retire from Congress.  

On the last of the three special episodes of the NEW Look podcast, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Rep. Mike Conaway, who was first elected to Congress in 2004 and represents the 11th Congressional District in Texas. He may be best known for serving as the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture, but Rep. Conaway has one of Congress’ most interesting backgrounds being not only a CPA, but a member of the high school football team that Friday Night Lights is based on. And while the conversation, which took place in January of 2020, focuses on reforming Congress, there’s plenty of time to talk about Friday Night Lights and high school football as well.

By now, you know the NEW Look podcast is a series of conversations examined through the lens of Northeast Wisconsin, the area of the state Rep. Gallagher represents that is often referred to as "NEW." But there's more to the name than that. The name is also an ode to President Eisenhower's national security strategy, the "New Look," which balanced Cold War military commitments along with US financial concerns. As a self-proclaimed Eisenhower Nerd, it's only fitting that he named his podcast after one of President Eisenhower's lasting achievements. But today, he takes things to a whole nother level by dedicating this episode to taking a NEW look at the New Look.

To help him do so, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Professor Richard Immerman, the Marvin Wachman Director Emeritus at the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy at Temple University, American historian, and author of a number of books, including Waging Peace: How Eisenhower Shaped an Enduring Cold War Strategy. Richard is one of the pre-eminent scholars on US foreign relations, and joins Rep. Gallagher for a fascinating conversation on President Eisenhower, the Cold War, and the lasting legacy of the New Look (besides this podcast). But don't worry; while they extensively cover an array of the Cold War’s key issues, the two still leave plenty of time to discuss some of their favorite movies and advice for students from Northeast Wisconsin.

Earlier this year, Rep. Gallagher and Senator Ben Sasse wrote a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey asking him to explain why Twitter allows CCP officials to spread disinformation on its platform while the country simultaneously bans its own citizens from using it. While Jack Dorsey never answered that question, it's just the latest example of how adversaries are taking advantage of social media and how behind the curve we are in addressing the problems that arise on these platforms. But given the important role social media plays in the way we communicate with each other and get news, what are responsible ways to change how these companies decide how to censor content and are regulated by the government?

To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined on this episode of the NEW Look podcast by Josh Geltzer, Executive Director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection as well as Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Josh, who also served as both Senior Director for Counterterrorism and Deputy Legal Advisor at the National Security Council, brings his unique legal and national security expertise to help us analyze the legal issues surrounding social media platforms -- from Section 230 to their response to extremism online -- and how we may be able to think through a responsible path forward. But as former college classmates, Mike and Josh don't just address a variety of legal issues, but also reminisce about their college days, and Josh's college band, "Top Shelf.”

We've all experienced times where internal challenges  may discourage or prevent us from achieving our goals. Whether the goal is as simple as going to the gym or as complicated as having the discipline to write for hours, temptation to veer from the ideal path is all around us. In many ways, the Coronavirus has  only added to the internal challenges we face. While we all face these problems, perhaps there are ways we can learn to adapt to these challenges and tap into something bigger than ourselves?

To explore this question, Rep. Gallagher is joined  on the NEW Look podcast by Steven Pressfield, best-selling author of Gates of Fire and The War of Art (among many others). Steven, who aptly refers to these internal challenges as "Resistance," is an incredible writer who shares his thoughts on how daily struggles  manifest themselves, and how we can all work to move past them. But don't worry, while the conversation spends plenty of time analyzing Resistance, Steven and Rep. Gallagher also take time to break down other pressing issues, including why they chose to serve  in the Marine Corps and how Scottie Pippen came across to viewers in ESPN's The Last Dance.

Over the past three decades, the U.S. made a bet that integrating China into the global economy and international institutions would moderate its behavior. But as we've discovered, the opposite happened. Today, the Chinese Communist Party has grown more aggressive at home and abroad, and as a result, we find ourselves at a key phase of a generational struggle that will define our politics for years to come. What led to the current state of affairs between the U.S. and China, and why did it take the U.S. so long to recognize its policy towards the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) failed? And what can we learn from our mistakes to ensure that the Free World is well positioned to win this competition? 

To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Bill Bishop, who publishes the highly-regarded China newsletter, Sinocism. Bill spent more than a decade living in China, and has as good a pulse as anyone on how the U.S. relationship with the CCP has evolved over time. And while the majority of the conversation focuses on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s ambitions and the administration's posture towards China, Bill also gives Rep. Gallagher a few pop culture tips, including a compelling way to get Tom Cruise to testify before Congress.

Anyone who’s been to Northeast Wisconsin knows water is central to our way of life. But while water is one of our most important resources, it is under threat from chemicals and contaminants. Improving our nation's water quality should be a priority at all levels of government, but isn't. What kind of policies can help to assure us of healthy drinking water? And, what lessons can we learn from one country – Israel – that has the world’s most sophisticated approach to its nation’s water?

To answer these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Seth Siegel, an entrepreneur, water activist, and a New York Times bestselling author known for his expertise in water policy in the US and around the world. Seth’s most recent book – “Troubled Water: What's Wrong with What We Drink” -- provides an overview of water policy in the United States, and what can be done to improve water quality to protect our health and the health of our loved ones. Seth’s last book – “Let There Be Water: Israel's Solution for a Water-Starved World” – is now out in 18 languages and more than 50 countries. A lifelong New Yorker, Seth is a Senior Policy Fellow at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences. Although this is an important topic, Seth started his career as a stand-up comic, and the podcast mixes both fun and seriousness for a great conversation.

In April, Northeast Wisconsin got a dose of good news when Marinette Marine was awarded a more than $5 billion contract to build the Navy's new frigate. The ship -- designed to be a smaller, adaptable surface combatant -- represents the future of the Navy, and will be key to protecting U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific region. But how exactly will this ship be used in the Navy, and what makes the frigate’s design so special? And more broadly speaking, what will the future fleet look like, and what role will Northeast Wisconsin play in that equation?

To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy Captain who has held numerous posts in the Department of Defense, including the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel, the Secretary of Defense’s Office of Force Development, and the Office of Net Assessment where he served as the Senior Military Assistant to its Director. Jerry -- widely considered one of the country's leading naval scholars -- takes us on a deep dive of the challenges the Navy faces, and how the U.S. can prepare itself for the combat of the future. But don't worry, the two don't spend the whole hour nerding out on the Navy. They also discuss their favorite books and debate whether or not one should see Top Gun this year.

American leadership in science and technology is at risk. As our own investment in research and development has dwindled, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not only substantially increased their investment in the technologies of the future, but stolen American intellectual property in a way that has quickly closed what was once a formidable gap in scientific capabilities. As we’ve come to realize with our medical supply chains, a world in which we rely on the CCP for critical technologies – whether it be 5G or Artificial Intelligence – is a direct threat to our national security. But what is the government doing to combat the CCP’s predatory technology practices, and what more can be done to maintain America’s leadership in these critical fields?

To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Mike Brown, the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) at the U.S. Department of Defense and the co-author of a Pentagon study on China’s participation in the U.S. venture ecosystem. While the conversation focuses largely on Mike Brown’s position at DIU, his experience as a Silicon Valley CEO, and how technological innovation will factor into great power competition with China, the two discuss more than geopolitics and whether or not the U.S. and China are entering a new Cold War. They also recommend bingeworthy shows on Netflix and elaborate the art of being in an amateur rock/dance band.

In our competition with the Chinese Communist Party, we find ourselves at the beginning of a generational struggle that will define American politics for decades to come. While Congress will need to pass bills that require pharmaceutical supply chains to be moved out of China,and sanction companies like Huawei that threaten the future of the internet, we will have to do much more to address the challenges this competition poses. But what are the long-term actions Congress should take, and who will play an important role in passing them? How have U.S.-China relations evolved in the past 20 years, and what lessons can we learn from this relationship?

To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Mike Green on a special joint podcast (check his podcast, The Asia Chessboard, here). Mike Green is the senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), director of Asian Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and someone who previously served on the National Security Council from 2001-2005. In less than an hour, these two cover a lot of ground on both their backgrounds, the future of U.S.-China relations, and of course, why Green Bay is Titletown, USA. 

Last week, after being named to Congress’ new China Task Force, Rep. Gallagher said, “Today we find ourselves in the midst of a generational struggle that threatens not only our national security, but the freedoms and values we hold as Americans.” While we’ve taken a NEW look at how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seeks to dominate critical industries, or undermine allied countries like the United Kingdom and Australia, we need to go deeper: why has the threat posed by China grown so quickly, and how does it threaten our freedoms as Americans? Why should we be concerned about actions the CCP takes to restrict political freedoms, and how does that impact Northeast Wisconsin?  

To explore these questions, Mike is joined by his good friend Oriana Skylar Mastro, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who focuses on Chinese military and security policy in the Asia-Pacific and rising power challenges to the international order. She is also assistant professor of security studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and concurrently serves in the United States Air Force Reserve as a senior China analyst at the Pentagon. She’s well known for her expertise on Chinese military and security policy, and brings valuable insight into the evolution of U.S.-China relations and why it matters for Americans now more than ever. But during the conversation Oriana doesn’t just share her wisdom on China – she also details a number of life hacks, including the concept of “sacred writing time” and an upcoming blog about how to tackle “adulting.” 

Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland, and for good reason: we are one of the country’s leading dairy producers, and make the best cheese in the entire world. Dairy is integral to our identity, but this industry is facing historic economic challenges. 2020 was supposed to be the year that dairy farms across our state were able to turn things around, but the Coronavirus pandemic changed that -- causing worker shortages, reductions in demand, and farmers to dump their milk product. How exactly is the Coronavirus impacting Wisconsin Dairy Farms, and what is being done to help them out? What will be not only the economic impact of milk dumping, but the impact on our environment as well?

On this special edition of the NEW Look Podcast, Rep. Gallagher explores these questions with four guests to share a comprehensive perspective on the topic: 

• GT Thompson, a congressman from Pennsylvania and a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, 
• Karen Gefvert, Executive Director of Governmental Relations at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, 
• John Jacobs, a dairy farmer in Northeast Wisconsin, and 
• Chris Clayton, a representative from the Wisconsin DNR. 

While times are certainly tough for dairy farmers, these four experts share insight as to what we can do to help, and why Northeast Wisconsin dairy farmers are some of the most resilient people around. Click HERE or see some highlights from the conversations below. 

Last week on the NEW Look podcast, Rep. Gallagher was joined by British MP Tom Tugendhat to discuss a growing recognition – both in the United States and the United Kingdom – that security threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will force us to re-evaluate our relationships with China. But years before we came to this realization in the U.S. and U.K., our allies in Australia had not only been sounding the alarm about the malevolence of the CCP, but had been living through these threats to their security. What caused Australia to identify these threats early on, and how did they respond at the national level? How did escalating tensions from the CCP impact their response to the Coronavirus pandemic, and what are they doing to address the crisis?

To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Andrew Hastie, the pride of Perth and an Australian Federal MP. As Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Andrew is a leading voice on Australian foreign policy, particularly when it comes relations with China. But the two talk about much more than geopolitics and the measures Australia is taking to counter CCP influence. Andrew also teaches Mike about Anzac Day and the accompanying “Gunfire Breakfast,” ways Western Australia is similar to Northeast Wisconsin, and some book suggestions along the way. 

The crisis we face has in many ways opened the world’s eyes to the malevolence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and strengthened a growing bipartisan consensus on the national security threats this regime poses. And once the dust settles, Congress looks poised to take a number of actions that will re-evaluate our relationships with China, from bringing pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the U.S. to examining other areas of overreliance on the country. But is this bipartisan shift unique to the United States, or are our Western allies also waking up to this threat as well? What will the global landscape look like once this pandemic ends, and how have other countries around the world responded to this crisis?

To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Tom Tugendhat, a British Member of Parliament and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, on this week’s NEW Look podcast. Despite being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Tom’s an all-around good dude who has been thinking thoughtfully on how the United Kingdom can reassess its relationship with China and what Western alliances can do to protect democracies today and in the future. But the two don’t just talk about geopolitics — Tom also teaches Mike a few things about British politics and cricket, all while ensuring his daughter Beatrice is able to watch “Shaun the Sheep.”

In order to combat the severe economic and health threats posed by the Coronavirus, Congress took unprecedented bipartisan action to keep the country afloat. Months ago, the thought of passing a $2 trillion, bipartisan economic relief package would have been unthinkable, let alone passing it in less than a week. But right after Congress took action — providing hope that it might put partisanship aside to govern in this time of crisis — it adjourned for an undetermined amount of time without a plan to continue working, leaving programs like the Paycheck Protection Program unfunded while punting on taking further action for weeks. Why is Congress broken, and what happened to make Congress so unpopular and unproductive as an institution? Are other institutions across our country seeing similar developments? How will increasing distrust in institutions impact our country and ability to respond to further crises?

To explore these questions, this week on the NEW Look podcast Rep. Gallagher is joined by Yuval Levin, who among many other titles is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Yuval has established himself as one of the leading academics in Washington, and an expert in American institutions and their impact on our families, communities, and country. In addition to discussing why Congress and other institutions are losing the trust of the people, Mike and Yuval also break down conservative thought, the importance of mentorship, and the value of physical books over kindles. 

As the Coronavirus disrupts nearly every aspect of our daily lives, medical professionals are working around the clock to develop treatments and a vaccine that will allow us to defeat this disease. Although we're still months away from a vaccine available for mass distribution, we are moving at unprecedented speed to bring a solution to market thanks in part to synthetic biology -- a process that allows us to modify DNA and create new outcomes. But what really is synthetic biology and why is it important to the development of a vaccine? How can we use this type of technology in the future, and what are the economic and ethical questions that come with it? 

To explore these questions, this week on the NEW Look podcast Rep. Gallagher is joined by Matt McKnight, Chief Commercial Officer at Ginkgo Bioworks. Matt isn’t just a good dude – he’s a Harvard Business School graduate that has been at the forefront of synthetic biology in the private sector for some time, and full of insight into how the field will not only be used to defeat this virus, but also to revolutionize the future. In addition to sharing his insights on synthetic biology, Matt also discusses some of his favorite books, his experience in the Marine Corps, and lessons he’s teaching his kids from home school. 

The Coronavirus poses a severe challenge for Northeast Wisconsin. This is not just a health challenge or physical challenge or an economic challenge, for many individuals and families it is a mental challenge. We humans are social animals—we are not made to sit shut inside all day every day. What makes this even more difficult for many is the added anxiety of caring for a loved one who may be uniquely vulnerable to the virus (or being unable to visit and care for our loved ones at all). In such times of crisis, it is important to focus on the things we can control such as washing our hands and following CDC guidelines on social distancing. But perhaps there are even more basic mental weapons with which we can fight and more ancient sources of wisdom we can use to get through this crisis?

To explore that question, this week on the NEW Look podcast, Rep. Gallagher spoke with Ryan Holiday, best-selling author of Stillness is the Key, Ego is the Enemy, and The Obstacle is the Way (among many others). In addition to being an all-round good dude, Ryan is also perhaps the foremost contemporary student of the ancient philosophy of Stoicism, and author of The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living. But don’t worry, though they discuss Stoicism, the conversation is not too…well…stoic. Mike and Ryan also discuss current events, social media misinformation, what's on each other's bookshelves, and what to say while parachuting into Vietnam.

On episode 1 of Rep. Mike Gallagher's NEW Look Podcast, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Dr. Ashok Rai to take a "new look" at the direct impact the Coronavirus is having on healthcare systems in Northeast Wisconsin and ways we can better prepare as a community. Dr. Rai serves as the President and CEO of Prevea Health based in Green Bay, WI. 

The name of the podcast, NEW Look, is a play on the area of Northeastern Wisconsin that Rep. Gallagher represents and President Dwight Eisenhower’s military strategy that balanced Cold War military commitments with financial concerns. The purpose of the podcast is to examine the issues of the day through the lens of Northeast Wisconsin with a number of different thought-leaders.