H-1B fee kills two birds — and America's golden goose – with one stone

President Donald Trump has found yet another way to weaponize immigration: a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applicants. The policy lets POTUS kill two birds with one stone: By targeting mostly India, he also gets to punish California.

Take that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gov. Gavin Newsom! To Trump, a noncompliant Modi is an irritant, and a trolling Newsom is a rival.

Most workers on H-1B visas come from India, and — unsurprisingly — the majority come to where opportunity is best: California. They are educated, trained and highly skilled employees who work in America’s fastest-growing industries in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. READ MORE

Venezuela’s Best Chance for Freedom

Venezuela’s tragic collapse from petrostate to failed state has a name: Nicolás Maduro. His first stolen “reelection” in 2018, dismissed globally as neither free nor fair, sealed the fate of a nation now hollowed out and starving. It’s time for him to go. Whether by negotiated exit or the combined weight of domestic defiance and American pressure, his departure is both morally justified and strategically essential. READ MORE

India, Ukraine & China - Inside the Issues

Dr. Markos Kounalakis, a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and an expert in international and foreign affairs, breaks down the shift in US and India relations amid President Trump’s tariffs.

Kounalakis also shares the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war on "Inside the Issues."

The Geopolitics of Trade Wars

“Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh speaks with Dr. Markos Kounalakis of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution to discuss the latest on President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and its impact on the global stage. Plus a look at the ongoing Ukraine-Russia ceasefire talks.

State of the war on Ukraine - Spectrum 1 News

“Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh is joined by Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, who speaks on the state of the war in Ukraine before Tuesday’s talks between the U.S. and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. (Live broadcast on Monday, March 10, 2025).

The state of the Ukraine-Russia war

“Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh is joined by Dr. Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, who breaks down the state of the Ukraine-Russia war, which has entered its 1,000th day. November 19, 2024 on Spectrum News.

Europe: Trump v. Harris

Kamala Devi Harris will be the first post-pandemic president of the United States. Unless, of course, she loses to the guy who was a failed pandemic leader.

Covid-19 changed the world. We are more digitally connected. We grew to understand how interdependent our world is and how reliant we are on Greek ships and container cargo. We learned that China could lock down and take over a remonstrating Hong Kong without firing a shot or taking much guff. Moscow made a run for Kyiv. All this between 2020 and 2022. READ MORE

Russia-Ukraine War Analysis - Spectrum 1 News

“Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh is joined by Markos Kounalakis, a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, who reviews the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Markos Kounalakis on WHY IS THE FORTHCOMING US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SO CRITICAL?

Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, at the 28th Annual Economist Government Roundtable #econroundtablegr

WHY IS THE FORTHCOMING US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SO CRITICAL?

• In which ways can the outcome affect Greece and the broader region? • Washington and the world: the new geopolitics of great power competition

Wess Mitchell

Former US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs; principal, The Marathon Initiative

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

John Sitilides

Geopolitical strategist, Trilogy Advisors; Senior fellow for national security, Foreign Policy Research Institute; Fmr diplomacy consultant, U.S. Department of State (2006-23)

Dora Bakoyannis

MP, President of the standing committee on national defence and external affairs, Former minister of foreign affairs, Greece

California Sun: Markos Kounalakis on the Golden State’s global impact

Markos Kounalakis, a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and California’s “second gentleman,” married to Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, argued in a recent Washington Monthly piece that California, given its economic power and strategic location, is underrepresented in key U.S. Senate committees, including those on armed services, foreign relations, and intelligence. This limits the state’s contributions on crucial foreign policy decisions, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.

Link here for California Sun website and recording.

California’s Stifled Voice on Foreign Policy

California’s technological and demographic power is unmistakable, with one notable exception: We’re underrepresented in shaping foreign policy in Congress. That is bad for us and the country because California’s Pacific perspective, born of 840 miles of coastline and a wave of immigration from across the Pacific and around the Pacific rim, is crucial. Too often, D.C. policymakers overemphasize the importance of issues in Europe and the Middle East and frequently misunderstand or underappreciate threats and opportunities in the more distant Indo-Pacific. READ MORE

India - 2024 National Elections

"Inside the Issues" host Amrit Singh is joined by Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, who discusses the largest democratic election on Earth taking place in India this week.

Biden denounces Trump's NATO remarks, urges House GOP to pass Ukraine aid

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden called the former president’s comments regarding NATO “dangerous” and “un-American.”

“Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh is joined by Stanford University’s Hoover Institution senior fellow Markos Kounalakis to discuss the latest Ukraine aid funding bill and Biden’s rebuke of Trump’s NATO remarks. 

China's Campaign To Shape What You Think And How You Behave

Hoover Institution Fellow, Markos Kounalakis, exposes how China is aggressively expanding its state-controlled media operations worldwide to spread propaganda and undermine Western democracies. This information offensive fills the void left by declining Western news bureaus in places like Africa and Latin America, using reporters that also serve as spies. To counter this effort, the West must expose Chinese disinformation, rebuild local journalism, and raise public awareness of foreign influence. Be sure to visit The Hoover Institution at https://www.hoover.org/ and PolicyEd at https://www.policyed.org/

Ukraine War commentary on Spectrum News

Ukraine War Analysis on Spectrum News

“Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh was joined by Markos Kounalakis, a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, to discuss the latest on the war in Ukraine. On Spectrum News 1, December 13, 2023.

Spectrum News' Renee Eng speaks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. Live on Spectrum on November 7, 2023.