Is the United States Winning the Fusion Race? Featuring Bob Mumgaard

Is the United States Winning the Fusion Race? Featuring Bob Mumgaard

Bob Mumgaard, co-founder and CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, joins Navin Girishankar to discuss whether fusion can usher in an era of virtually limitless clean energy—and whether the United States will lead the way. Bob explains the technology, key commercial milestones, the race with China, the path from experimental reactors to the electric grid, and why fusion could transform AI, manufacturing, and national power. He also discusses how to balance scientific openness with research security and how the United States can cultivate the talent needed to lead the next energy revolution.

Opportunity and Security in the AI Economy: Featuring Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) joins Navin Girishankar to discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and the broader reindustrialization process. She explores how to ensure that historically underserved communities benefit from technological transformation and shares her views on the U.S. trade agenda, its implications for the Indo-Pacific, and the importance of strong export controls.

Beyond P(doom): Marc Andreessen

Marc Andreessen, Co-founder and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, joins Betting on America to press past the settled question of whether AI is going to transform our world. They explore more substantive questions: who bears the cost, can our institutions absorb disruptions, and what government and the private sector must each do to ensure the gains are broad and the losses are survivable. Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation on the economic, social, and geopolitical implications of the AI revolution with one of the nation's leading technologists and investors—now advising the President as a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Electricity Whenever You Want It: Featuring Mateo Jaramillo, Co-Founder and CEO of Form Energy

Co-founder and CEO of Form Energy, Mateo Jaramillo, joins Navin Girishankar to discuss the challenge of building long-duration energy storage from the ground up. He explores iron-air batteries as a scalable and bankable innovation, the precision manufacturing process required to bring this technology to market, and why West Virginia was the right place to build. He also reflects on the evolving role of government, the investor base backing the effort, and the lessons learned at the frontier of U.S. reindustrialization.

Commercial Diplomacy for U.S. Tech Exports

Join us for an episode of Betting on America, recorded at the CSIS Futures Summit. Navin Girishankar moderates the panel "U.S. Commercial Diplomacy Through the Lens of the Private Sector," joined by Cynthia Conner, Senior Manager for International Policy at Chevron; Nicole Issac, Vice President of Global Public Policy at Cisco; and Katherine F. Pickus, Chief Sustainability Officer at ADM. They discuss where U.S. commercial interests and countries’ development goals come together, the constraints U.S. companies face in emerging markets, what effective commercial diplomacy looks like, and why getting this right matters.