Biggest Names In Politics Descend On Beverly Hills For Conference

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and former Vice President Al Gore are among the scheduled participants Monday at the 21st annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills.

More than 4,000 people from more than 60 nations – a conference record – are set to attend the conference, which will feature discussions with current and former senior U.S. government officials and international policymakers about such issues as trade, technology, national security and the opioid crisis.

CEOs, philanthropists, investors, innovators, and medical researchers will tackle topics ranging from artificial intelligence to blockchain, financial regulations, global markets and breakthroughs in health.

The conference's theme is "Navigating a World in Transition."

"A global transformation is underway, disrupting traditional social and economic norms around the world, heralding an era of rapid change and challenge," said Richard Ditizio, the president and chief operating officer of the Milken Institute, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to increase global prosperity by advancing collaborative solutions that widen access to capital, create jobs and improve health.

"Through the Milken Institute Global Conference, we harness the wisdom and creativity of the world's greatest thinkers to effectively embrace this sea-change and solve the most complex problems."

Blair will be joined by former CIA Director David Petraeus in a luncheon titled "Navigating an Uncertain World."

Mnuchin will be interviewed by Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo and Michael Milken, the one-time junk bond king who is chairman of the Milken Institute.

Schumer, D-New York, and McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, will participate in separate "Conversations with Congress," both moderated by pollster Frank Luntz and Richard Sandler, a longtime investor and executive vice president of the Milken Family Foundation.

Gore, now the chairman of Generation Investment Management, will speak on "The Sustainability Revolution: Seizing the Investment Opportunity of Our Generation." He will be introduced by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group, will be the moderator.

The conference continues through Wednesday.

City News Service; Photo: BERLIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 08: Former Vice President Al Gore attends a press conference for 'An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power' at Hotel Adlon on August 8, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Nareyek/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)