Religion increasingly inhabits the political sphere in our country and is claimed as a motivating source by conservative and liberal leaders alike. Many of these leaders are Christian and profess that their policies follow the teachings of Jesus. And yet their policies are often diametrically opposed, promoting very different views of morality and how one should live.
Please join the Center for American Progress for a provocative conversation that explores these issues with one of our country’s leading public theologians.

Businesses are the backbone of the U.S. health insurance system, providing health benefits to nearly 175 million Americans. However, rising health care costs are placing a huge strain on our employer-based health insurance system. Premiums rose 87 percent between 2000 and 2006, with wages growing only by 20 percent during this period. Should trends continue, health benefit costs could exceed profits in Fortune 500 companies next year. This has caused both large and small businesses to make tough decisions between investing in their company or providing health insurance to their employees. It has also contributed to the rise in the number of un- and underinsured Americans.

Global warming threatens developing countries with increasingly severe weather events, droughts, and other natural disasters. Climate change will also cause rapid changes in food production, water scarcity, and the spread of disease. Efforts to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development will be seriously undermined.

Join us to learn more about the impacts of climate change on developing countries and how the development community can pursue equitable and environmentally sustainable responses and policy solutions to these challenges.

Harvard University's Institute of Politics, Campus Progress, and the Center for American Progress invite you to a poll briefing. Institute of Politics has been conducting regular polling for America's young people for seven years examining the political views of 18-24 year-olds.

Please join the Center for American Progress for an address by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-MD), who is leading the way toward more data-driven government. As mayor of Baltimore, O'Malley achieved dramatic gains in efficiency and effectiveness through the renowned data-tracking system known as CitiStat. Now governor of Maryland, O'Malley recently signed legislation into law to implement StateStat, the state-level version of CitiStat. O'Malley will discuss his vision for StateStat at this event.

Following O'Malley's remarks, a distinguished panel of experts will discuss ideas for implementing data-driven government. Daniel C. Esty and Reece Rushing will present their new paper, "Governing by the Numbers: The Promise of Data-Driven Policymaking in the Information Age", which recommends steps at the federal level. Larisa Benson will discuss Washington state’s efforts to implement its own CitiStat-inspired program. And Nell Williams will discuss how data are being used to shape decision-making in the private sector. Sally Katzen will moderate the panel and provide perspective as the former deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget under President Clinton.

The Center for American Progress invites you to the release of the Task Force report "From Poverty to Prosperity: A National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half." In this report, the Task Force calls for a national goal of cutting poverty in half in the next 10 years and proposes a strategy to reach the goal.

Kazi challenges these young people to write music about real issues affecting their lives as they strive to overcome daunting obstacles to produce a collaborative album. Russell Simmons, hip hop mogul and long-time supporter of the project, partners with Bruce Willis to donate a recording studio to the The Hip Hop Project. After four years of collaboration, the group produces a powerful and thought-provoking CD filled with moving personal narratives and sharp social commentary. Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter calls The Hip Hop Project an "inspirational... compelling, uplifting tale."

Please join us for a brief performance by Kazi and a provocative panel discussion immediately following the film.

Thirty years after the Church Committee unearthed COINTELPRO and other instances of illicit executive behavior at home and overseas, the Bush administration has elevated flaws of Cold War intelligence abuse into first principles of government.

The Bush administration has created a "secret presidency" run with classified presidential decisions and secret laws. A hyperactive Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice has aggressively expanded executive power. It has deployed a vision of unmitigated presidential authority inconsistent with the Constitution and the roots of the nation.

Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror puts today's executive abuses in historical perspective and offers a road map for future accountability. Drawing on Fritz Schwarz's experience with the Church Committee and Aziz Huq's work with the Brennan Center's Project on Liberty and National Security, it argues that restoring the checks and balances of American government will promote American liberty and security. Former Vice President Walter Mondale calls Unchecked and Unbalanced "a masterly account of the roots of contemporary executive overreaching. Schwarz and Huq clarify the stakes in the Bush administration's radical and unprecedented vision of executive power."

Please join the co-authors for an engaging discussion on the history of executive overreaching and the potential for the recently divided executive and congressional branches to restore real oversight and accountability to our government.