After President Biden's release of his plan for student debt relief, Andre Perry explains the impact loan forgiveness will have on student debt holders, the role of student debt in racial wealth and income inequality, and how to keep higher education attainable for the public. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3QVr9Ct Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitt...
Aug 26, 2022•12 min
Sri Lanka's new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, took office last week as the country faces economic collapse, political instability, and ongoing food and fuel shortages. Constantino Xavier looks at how Sri Lanka's governing choices over many years led to crisis, the difficult reforms ahead, and the implications of Sri Lanka's collapse for other developing nations throughout Asia and Africa. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3zqQEFm Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts...
Jul 22, 2022•13 min
Following the stunning assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Mireya Solís describes Abe's policy legacies, the role he continued to play in shaping the direction of the country, and the ramifications of his assassination for Japan's politics. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3yNFLND Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Curre...
Jul 08, 2022•10 min
The Supreme Court's decision in West Virginia v. EPA narrowed the breadth of powers the Environmental Protection Agency has to regulate carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act. Barry Rabe explains the court's reasoning, the uncertainties it raises for EPA regulation, and the challenges for congressional or state-level action. Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3OELI4T Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.ed...
Jul 01, 2022•14 min
Russia has threatened consequences for Lithuania after the NATO member state blocked transit of EU-sanctioned goods through its territory to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid, Dan Hamilton explains the new front in tensions between NATO and Russia and the potential for Russian escalation. Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3n9eWwX Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu ...
Jun 23, 2022•13 min
As the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its first public hearings in nearly a year, Norm Eisen lays out what Americans can expect from the proceedings and the committee's objectives over the coming months. Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/39chpTW Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Current...
Jun 09, 2022•11 min
While Emmanuel Macron won re-election as France's president, far-right challenge Marine Le Pen's nationalist populism gained a larger share of the vote than ever before. Célia Belin and Agneska Bloch explain how the political dynamics at play and the upcoming June legislative elections are likely to shape Macron's policies in his second term. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3KfZZCb Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@b...
Apr 26, 2022•20 min
The first round of France’s presidential election narrowed the field to current President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen. Before the two face off in a second round of voting on April 24, Célia Belin and Agneska Bloch examine the issues motivating French voters, and what both candidates will try - and need - to do in the coming weeks to win in the runoff. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/3KVmCx7 Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send fe...
Apr 15, 2022•51 min
Quinta Jurecic explains the significance of new developments this week around the congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Show notes and full transcript: https://brook.gs/3wPbH3H Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network ....
Mar 31, 2022•16 min
Pakistan's prime minister, Imran Khan, faces a unified opposition coalition and a vote of no confidence in parliament next week. Whether Khan's government survives the challenge or not, Pakistan's democracy will suffer as political instability undermines public confidence in the electoral process, argues Madiha Afzal. Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3I3jnkC Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu and fol...
Mar 25, 2022•14 min
While the Russian assault on Ukraine advances through ground and air forces, there haven't yet been significant cyberattacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, intelligence, or communications systems. Jessica Brandt explains what we have seen so far in the way of cyber and information warfare, why Putin might have initially avoided larger-scale cyberattacks against Ukraine, and how technology companies and U.S. and NATO intelligence services have pushed back against the Kremlin's disinformation campai...
Mar 03, 2022•10 min
President Joe Biden's first State of the Union address aimed to both deliver a strong message to Russia about its war on Ukraine and reset Democrats' political messaging on their domestic priorities. In a live Twitter Spaces conversation, Brookings Fellows John Hudak, Scott Anderson, and Molly Reynolds analyzed the president's narrative vision of America's role in the world and his party's priorities on inflation, COVID-19, and voters' top concerns heading into the midterm elections. Show notes:...
Mar 02, 2022•50 min
Russian military forces invaded Ukraine on Thursday, precipitating a dangerous security and humanitarian crisis in Europe. In a live Twitter Spaces conversation, a Brookings roundtable assessed the security and economic ripple effects of Russia’s invasion and explained what sanctions the U.S. and Europe have imposed so far and what further tools they can bring to bear. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3pgBbm5 Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send f...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 37 min
In a special long episode of The Current, three Brookings Russia experts discuss what's driving Putin's actions against Ukraine, what his goals may be beyond the present crisis, and how U.S. and European leaders are responding. Show notes: https://brook.gs/3IdRNSC Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network ....
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Tensions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict are escalating as Russia and Belarus engage in several days of military exercises, while U.S. and NATO allies continue a flurry of high-level diplomatic activity. Angela Stent evaluates the recent efforts to de-escalate the present crisis and Putin's willingness to play the conflict as a long game even after the military maneuvers end. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3HKmE99 Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. ...
Feb 10, 2022•12 min
While President Biden and congressional Democratic leadership's call to modify the filibuster to allow voting rights legislation to pass by a simple majority is in jeopardy, Rashawn Ray weighs in on Biden's forceful Atlanta speech, explains why the John Lewis Voting Rights and Freedom to Vote acts are so important, and the risks for Democrats and the quality of U.S. democracy if the promises of progress made to Democratic voters in 2020 are broken. Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.g...
Jan 13, 2022•12 min
As Russian troops gather on Ukraine's borders, the outstanding question is whether Russian President Putin is prepared to bear the domestic and international costs of a full-scale invasion or if he'll stop at pressuring NATO and the West for political concessions. Steven Pifer explains why a military incursion in 2022 will not be as easy for Russia as annexing Crimea in 2014, and where there are avenues for dialogue to defuse the brewing confrontation. Full show notes and transcript: https://bro...
Dec 16, 2021•16 min
After passing a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government operating into the new year, Congress still has a very full to-do list for the final weeks of 2021. Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds runs through the most pressing items on the congressional agenda, including raising the debt limit, what may be slowing the legislative process, and what it could take to alter the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation. Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/31wsOte Follow Brooking...
Dec 03, 2021•12 min
The COP26 climate conference in Glasgow produced new agreements and pledges from 196 countries to continue cutting emissions in an effort to keep the global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. But will it be enough? Samantha Gross highlights some of the significant pledges and the need for more action. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/32g849J Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu and follo...
Nov 18, 2021•10 min
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's testimony on the social media platform's business practices may have been an eye-opened for members of Congress, says former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler, but this and other recent revelations are just the canary in the coal mine for the broader digital ecosystem. Wheeler points to a lack of government oversight that has left digital platforms to make their own rules, and what responses may be forthcoming from the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justi...
Oct 14, 2021•14 min
Fumio Kishida was elected as Japan's new prime minister after former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga lost public support and political backing over his handling of the coronavirus and the Olympics. While Kishida's early moves reflect a continuation of his predecessors' economic and diplomatic principles, an early general election at the end of October may give him stronger backing to put his own mark on policies from relations with China to income inequality. Show notes and transcript: https://bro...
Oct 04, 2021•13 min
Angela Merkel has been Germany's chancellor through a series of massive crises. Ahead of the September 26 elections, Constanze Stelzenmüller explains that the question of how Germany's next leader will shape the country's role as an anchor of Europe will have far-reaching consequences in a future in which crises are the new normal. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3lyFwy7 Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu , a...
Sep 17, 2021•14 min
Jon Valant examines how the continued surge in COVID-19 cases is challenging educators, administrators, and parents to manage students' return to the classroom safely, and how national politics is affecting local decisionmaking. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3gP9i03 Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu , and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Net...
Sep 01, 2021•14 min
Building on previous visits from high-level Cabinet officials, Vice President Kamala Harris' trip to Singapore and Vietnam adds positive momentum to the Biden administration's efforts to re-engage with key partners in Southeast Asia. Jonathan Stromseth explains why it's important for America to expand its political and economic agenda in the region with an eye to deepening positive, long-term relationships, not just to counter China's security and economic influence. Show notes and transcript: h...
Aug 27, 2021•11 min
The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act "is a huge first step to tackle long-range challenges" like climate change, says Adie Tomer. The $1 trillion investment in water and power infrastructure, expanding broadband and rail, and changing how communities are developed will "give us a good chance to go into the laboratory to see what the future of the country might look like, and then continue to double down on that going forward." Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2VHnIYo ...
Aug 10, 2021•15 min
Although the CDC's eviction moratorium has been temporarily extended, approximately 6 million households are behind on their rent and potentially at risk of eviction, while states and cities have struggled to distribute the billions in emergency rental assistance allocated by Congress last year. Jenny Schuetz examines the challenges in getting aid money to renters and how to better support renters and landlords when federal and local eviction bans eventually expire. Show notes and transcript: ht...
Aug 05, 2021•10 min
The White House meeting between President Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was primarily framed around the future of U.S. military forces in Iraq, but in addition to the destabilizing threats of ISIS and Iran-aligned militias, Iraq is also struggling with a deep economic crisis and need for significant political reforms. Ranj Alaaldin details Kadhimi’s efforts to address Iraq's interconnected crises and how the U.S. is still critical to Iraq's future. Show notes and transcript: ...
Jul 29, 2021•16 min
As families with children start receiving the first of their monthly checks from the American Rescue Plan's expanded child tax credit, Robert Greenstein calls the benefit transformational in reaching the poorest children, and explains why it's critical the child tax credit and expanded earned income tax credit programs be made permanent to effectively reduce poverty. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3rdJK0H Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send fee...
Jul 16, 2021•19 min
The Trump Organization and its CFO, Allen Weisselberg, face felony charges for an alleged 15-year scheme of conspiracy and criminal tax fraud in the state of New York. "When you read through the indictment, through all 15 counts and the 24-page indictment and the stunning level of detail, it really presents a sweeping tax fraud case." Norman Eisen examines the severity of the charges against the Trump Organization, and evaluates former President Trump's risk for potential future indictment. Show...
Jul 02, 2021•12 min
The White House's goal for the Geneva meeting of Presidents Biden and Putin was not a reset, but to set guardrails for a more stable and predictable relationship. Angela Stent assesses the basic agreements that came out of Wednesday's summit, potential areas for future cooperation, and where U.S. and Russian priorities will continue to challenge the relationship. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3gC5n7j Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedbac...
Jun 17, 2021•11 min
