The third Summit for Democracy takes place March 18 to 20, in Seoul, South Korea. The theme of the summit is democracy for future generations. To talk about the summit’s critical importance and the role of anti-corruption work in the support of democracy, Ambassador Norm Eisen joins The Current. Eisen is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and chair of the Anti-corruption, Democracy, and Security Project.
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"Russia has failed in its biggest goals, but those failures may be reversed. Ukraine's successes are not guaranteed to endure, and at the moment, momentum seems to be shifting at least modestly in Russia's favor."
Two years after Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, Michael O'Hanlon takes stock of where the war stands and what happens if the U.S. House of Representatives fails to authorize additional financial and military aid.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/is-russia-winning-in-ukraine/
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This week, Pakistan holds national elections. Voters in the world's fifth most populous nation go to the polls to elect representatives to Pakistan's parliament, and from that, the next prime minister. To talk about what's at stake for Pakistan, the turmoil surrounding some of the major candidates, and what the outcome could mean for the region and the world, Madiha Afzal, a fellow in Foreign Policy, the Center for Middle East Policy, and the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at Brookings, joins The Current.
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For the first episode of 2024, the new president of Brookings, Cecilia Rouse, sits down with The Current to share her thoughts on priorities facing the nation today and how Brookings can provide sound research to inform policy to improve the lives of those across America.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/meet-cecilia-rouse-new-brookings-president
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As the Israeli offensive in Gaza moves south toward Khan Younis, and as some hostages come home while many more remain captive, Natan Sachs joins the podcast from Israel to reflect on the public mood, Israel's operational goals, the ongoing threat of wider regional escalation, and what might come next.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/taking-stock-of-the-ongoing-war-in-israel-and-gaza
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Corrupt regimes around the world threaten global democracy and security. On this episode of The Current, Norman Eisen, senior fellow in Governance Studies and chair of the newly launched global Anti-Corruption, Democracy, and Security (ACDS) project at Brookings, talks about the project and explains why fighting corruption and promoting good governance are key to strengthen democracy and security.
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President Biden and President Xi met on Wednesday in San Francisco during the APEC summit at a time of highly strained relations between China and the U.S. Patricia Kim discussed some of the outcomes of their meeting and stressed the ongoing need for Beijing and Washington "to depoliticize diplomacy and functional channels of communication and make them a regular feature of the U.S.-China relationship."
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/will-positive-momentum-from-the-biden-xi-meeting-last
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Thousands of migrants are heading north through Mexico toward the U.S. border. The number of Border Patrol encounters with migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border continues to be high. And for two years in a row, the number of illegal crossings has exceeded 2 million. Meanwhile, border security remains a hot political issue as Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail accuse President Biden of having an “open border policy.” Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings offers insight about what's happening on the border.
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On October 30th, President Joe Biden issued an executive order on "safe, secure, and trustworthy artificial intelligence." The E.O. sets new standards for AI safety and security, has new privacy provisions, and much more. Nicol Turner Lee, a senior fellow in governance studies and director of the Center for Technology Innovation, joins The Current to talk about the scope and implications of the AI E.O.
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A new Department of Labor rule aims to expand protections for retirement savers by updating standards on different types of financial investment advice. Ben Harris explains what the new rule does and other steps the Biden administration could take to increase Americans' retirement security.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-does-new-rule-on-investment-advice-mean-for-retirement-security
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Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) has served just six years in the House of Representatives before being elected as the new speaker of the House. Molly Reynolds explains how his relative inexperience could hurt or help, especially in upcoming negotiations to avert a government shutdown in November.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/who-is-new-speaker-of-the-house-mike-johnson
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The war between Israel and Hamas militants operating out of Gaza has produced horrific images, but also misinformation and disinformation about actions on both sides. This mis- and disinformation spreads through social media like X, the former Twitter, and confuses our understanding of what’s happening. On this episode of The Current, Valerie Wirtschafter, a fellow in Foreign Policy and the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative at Brookings, discusses how disinformation spreads, how we can spot it, and how we can better consume information coming out of conflicts like the one in the Middle East.
President Biden visited Israel as a show of U.S. support and announced new humanitarian aid to Gaza, but subsequent Arab leader summit fell through in the wake of the al Ahli hospital bombing. Jeffrey Feltman weighs in on how Biden's show of empathy - but also caution - was received by Israelis, the urgent need for humanitarian relief in Gaza, and the dangers of escalation from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/biden-in-israel-and-us-diplomacy-on-the-israel-gaza-crisis
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Hamas' surprise attack on Israel this weekend is drawing comparisons to 9/11 and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In an online discussion, Brookings experts Natan Sachs, Shibley Telhami, Suzanne Maloney, and Molly Reynolds weighed in on Israel's response to the attacks, Iran's involvement, the regional repercussions, and how domestic politics will bear on the U.S. response, moderated by Michael O'Hanlon.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/war-in-israel-and-gaza/
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This week, the House of Representatives ousted Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, a position he had held since January. The final vote was 216 to 210, with eight Republicans joining all voting Democrats and passing a motion to vacate, introduced by Florida Representative Matt Gaetz. Sarah Binder, senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, joins the show to discuss what happened and what it means for governance in Congress.
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The 2023 U.N. General Assembly saw increased calls from countries of the "Global South" for a greater role in global governance and the major multilateral institutions. Bruce Jones explains how the U.S., China, and Russia are competing for the Global South's attention, why calls to reform of the U.N. Security Council may now have a chance, and highlights a new multilateral framework called the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/un-reform-and-the-global-south-at-the-2023-general-assembly
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This past weekend, India hosted its first G-20 summit, the annual gathering of leaders from the world’s largest economies. To assess highlights from the summit and India’s global role moving forward, Tanvi Madan, senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, joins the program. Madan is host of the new Global India podcast, debuting this month from the Brookings Podcast Network.
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On Wednesday night, eight contenders for the Republican Party presidential nomination appeared on a Milwaukee stage together for the first GOP debate. Donald Trump, currently leading in the polls, was not among them. On this episode, Elaine Kamarck, founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management and a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, offers her analysis of what happened and what it portends moving toward the first primaries in January.
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The coup that ousted Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum in a late July follows a string of similar military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali. Landry Signé discusses how Niger and other democracies in the Sahel have struggled to build systems of accountability and deliver public services, and the need for international, regional, and local alignment to strengthen economic security.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-underlies-the-coup-in-niger
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Israel's Knesset passed a bill that strips Israel's Supreme Court of the power to declare government decisions unreasonable. The so-called "reasonableness bill" passed with a 64 to 0 vote after all members of the Knesset's governing coalition voted for it and all members of the opposition left the chamber. Passage of the bill has sparked turmoil in the country. Natan Sachs, director of the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings and a senior fellow in Foreign Policy, discusses what's happening in Israel.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-will-the-supreme-courts-affirmative-action-ruling-affect-college-admissions
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The Supreme Court's decision ending race-based admissions policies at colleges and universities leaves in place other forms of affirmative action like legacy preferences and early admissions — affirmative action policies that disproportionately benefit white students, says Katharine Meyer. Meyer looks at how underrepresented student enrollment dropped in states that previously banned race-based affirmative action, and how some have tried to increase student diversity through race-neutral methods.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-will-the-supreme-courts-affirmative-action-ruling-affect-college-admissions
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This weekend's fast-moving but short-lived revolt by Wagner Group mercenaries led by Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves many unanswered questions about what this signals for Russian President Vladimir Putin's grip on power, what will happen to the Wagner Group after this, and the ramifications for Russia's war on Ukraine. In a discussion moderated by Susan Glasser, Angela Stent, Michael O'Hanlon, and Constanze Stelzenmüller try to make sense of what happened, how to interpret it, and the longer-term implications for Russian stability and European security.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/putin-imperiled-what-to-know-about-the-wagner-groups-russian-revolt/
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Aaron Klein explains the U.S. SEC's lawsuit against cryptocurrency companies Binance and Coinbase, the current state of crypto regulation, and the continuing debate over cryptocurrency's core purpose.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/what-do-the-secs-lawsuits-signal-for-the-future-of-cryptocurrency/
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The potential security implications of China's corporate control of TikTok's parent company ByteDance have scaled up in recent years as U.S.-China relations have soured and China has expanded its domestic social, political, and economic controls. But Congress' potential answer — the RESTRICT Act — has its flaws. Cam Kerry examines TikTok's challenges, other ways to address the security concerns beyond an outright ban, and the need for comprehensive privacy legislation.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/how-is-congress-handling-the-tiktok-conundrum/
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With former President Jimmy Carter in hospice care, Bill Galston looks back at Carter's administration and his "exemplary and influential" post-presidential dedication to good works, and reflects on the dynamics that shape how we think about presidents' successes and failures.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/how-will-we-remember-jimmy-carters-presidential-legacy
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President Erdoğan "has been one of the symbols of democracy's global decline" and Turkey's upcoming elections will have consequences not only for Turkey, but the world, says Aslı Aydintaşbaş. In the latest episode of The Current, Aydintaşbaş assesses how public opinion of Erdoğan has shifted after the recent devastating earthquake and why the political opposition has coalesced around Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/whats-at-stake-in-turkeys-elections
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Former CEO of MasterCard Ajay Banga has been nominated to be the next president of the World Bank following the early resignation of outgoing President David Malpass. Homi Kharas explains the challenges ahead for the World Bank to integrate climate change into its economic development agenda and how Banga's background in large-scale financial services may be brought to bear to expand the bank's efforts.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/who-is-ajay-banga-us-nominee-for-world-bank-president/
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In his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued "a strident call for calm" over recent escalating violence, while also voicing concerns over Prime Minister Netanyahu's efforts to weaken Israel's Supreme Court. Natan Sachs discusses the new hardline government, what changes to the judiciary could mean for Israel's democracy, and where the U.S. could potentially have influence.
Transcript and show notes: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/how-is-the-us-weighing-in-with-israels-new-hardline-government/
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After the U.S. reached its debt limit last week, Secretary Janet Yellen announced that the Treasury will engage in extraordinary measure to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its debt, but it remains to be seen how and when Congress will take action. Brookings experts David Wessel, Bill Gale, Molly Reynolds, Wendy Edelberg explain the debt ceiling, the economic ramifications of default, and the politics of finding a solution.
Transcript and show notes: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/whats-happening-with-the-debt-ceiling-again/
On the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Élysée, Constanze Stelzenmüller and Tara Varma examine the French-German cooperative framework, and France and Germany's role as a driver for European partnership, leadership, and answering the challenge of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Transcript and show notes: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/60-years-later-can-france-and-germany-fulfill-the-ambitions-of-the-treaty-of-elysee/
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In Moore v. Harper, the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case from North Carolina about whether state legislatures have unrestricted powers in how they administer federal elections, including the drawing of congressional district maps. Russell Wheeler explains the independent state legislature theory at the heart of the case, and what the Court's ruling could mean for partisan gerrymandering and the future of how states run elections.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/moore-v-harper-who-has-the-power-to-set-state-election-rules/
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China's 20th Party Congress demonstrated that none of Beijing's recent troubles, from public anger over COVID lockdowns to economic slowdowns and rising international tensions, have dented President Xi Jinping's grip on power, says Patricia Kim. In this episode, Kim examines what leadership personnel changes and Xi's domestic focus on national security mean for China's near-term trajectory.
Show notes: https://brook.gs/3Tw0ttk
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Amid a host of challenges, the three major priorities of this year's United Nations General Assembly will be Russia's war against Ukraine, climate change, and food shortages. Bruce Jones explains the sideline diplomacy happening in New York, and the rising tension between Western countries' focus on geopolitics and the global South's need for progress on climate change.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3QKpJdj
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One year after the U.S. troop withdrawal, Afghanistan faces a collapsed economy, humanitarian crisis, and a Taliban regime essentially unchanged from that of 1996-2001. Madiha Afzal discusses the Taliban's restrictions on civil society, the segregation of women and girls from public life, and the need for more creative policies to alleviate Afghan people's suffering without helping the Taliban.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3TuLZug
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 campaigns.
Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3sExXLb
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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: https://brook.gs/3tst2w9
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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
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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
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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
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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.gs/339Sspb
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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://brook.gs/3DTflJK
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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
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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
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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 Justice, and state-level actors.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3ve5cEU
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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://brook.gs/3AeZwuR
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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
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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
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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: https://brook.gs/38h6tjE
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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
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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: https://brook.gs/3xraSuB
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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: https://brook.gs/3iamrSk
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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
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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 notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3ho5McE
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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
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Attempts to build the the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada's oil sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast have been abandoned after more than a decade of opposition from environmentalists, dropping oil prices, and the Biden administration's drive to decarbonize the U.S. economy. Samantha Gross explains the implications of Keystone's cancelation for other pipeline projects, U.S. emissions, and the future of fossil fuel infrastructure.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3gqjD1n
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A broad coalition is coming together to form a new government in Israel, which means Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year run as prime minister may be nearing its end. Natan Sachs, director of the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, explains how this coalition was created and whether it will represent a major break from the Netanyahu era.
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When it comes to an investigation of the January 6, 2021 insurrection and assault on the U.S. Capitol, it needs "something beyond what Congress can do itself." Molly Reynolds explains the limitations of current congressional committee investigations, the likelihood of the Senate approving an independent 1/6 commission, and the many challenges facing any attempt to build a cohesive narrative leading up to and encompassing the events of January 6.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3v60KqB
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Both Hamas and the Israeli government have dramatically escalated tensions that began as spontaneous grassroots protests over the eviction of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem to military violence with a high cost to civilians in both Israel and Gaza. Shibley Telhami weighs in on the confrontations spreading throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories, and whether the Biden administration will be able to effectively call for calm in the region.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2Qbg6eg
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After jobs growth slowed in April, Stephanie Aaronson cautions that employment is going to be slow to return to pre-pandemic levels as employers and workers try to match their needs and pay expectations. She also addresses the relationship between unemployment benefits, wages, and slowing the spread of the coronavirus, and why there may continue to be lingering negative effects on women's labor force participation.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2R1W32o
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John Hudak examines President Biden's first 100 days and his joint address to Congress, and how those reflect Biden's view of his presidency and the role of government in meeting the challenges of American life.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2RaLx8y
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The sudden death of Chad’s President Idriss Déby after 30 years in power has created a governance vacuum that will likely lead to years of instability, says John Mukum Mbaku, unless the military hands power over to the National Assembly, as called for in Chad's constitution.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3dIfoxW
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Will the guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin's murder of George Floyd be just a single blip of accountability in the longer history of police violence, or will it be a real inflection point to galvanize change? Rashawn Ray speaks to the significance of Chauvin's trial, the fractured state of police-community relations, and what the Department of Justice needs to ensure real accountability.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2P98Saa
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Both Iran and the U.S. have incentive to continue negotiations in Vienna toward restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), says Robert Einhorn, in spite of this weekend's attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility and Iran's subsequent move to step up its uranium enrichment process.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3ab4oad
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Although workers' efforts to form a union at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama ultimately failed, the David versus Goliath attempt "is a reflection of how broken our labor laws are." Molly Kinder looks at growing public support for unions and says it's critical for policymakers to act to make it easier for workers to organize for their rights.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3wISdLx
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political and legal fate remains in question after a fourth round of elections in two years has yielded no clear winner. As the country remains stuck in limbo, Natan Sachs weighs in on how this election has shaken up traditional right vs. left alliances, the Islamic Ra'am party's potential kingmaker role, and what the election of extreme far-right Knesset members means for Israel's democracy.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3ciRCrT
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This past week, leaders of the "Quad" - U.S., India, Japan, and Australia - met for the first time as a group to put forward a positive agenda and address Chinese behavior in the Indo-Pacific region. Tanvi Madan evaluates what the Quad summit signals about the Biden administration's regional strategy, and the significance newly announced COVID-19 vaccine initiative.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3eM0Hv1
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Lauren Bauer explains how unemployment insurance (UI) benefits - now extended to September via the American Rescue Plan - have affected household finances and worker behavior, and why Congress should add automatic triggers to UI before the next recession.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2Ord8l1
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As the American Rescue Plan makes its final way through Congress, Wendy Edelberg examines how the key elements will provide much-needed economic relief to states and families, and make significant cuts in child poverty. Looking ahead, Edelberg recommends that Democrats and Republicans should next put together an infrastructure package to help build a robust, long-term economic recovery.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3ewuY0q
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Although a U.S. intelligence report conclusively found that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, the Biden administration has not yet directly penalized the crown prince himself. Bruce Riedel explains why the White House may be hesitating to act more directly and why Mohammed bin Salman's position in Saudi Arabia may be less secure than the administration thinks.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3swwS5c
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President Biden's authorization of a U.S. retaliatory strike against Iranian-backed militias in Syria raises questions about his administration's policies toward Iraq, Syria, and the broader region. Michael O'Hanlon addresses the scale of the airstrikes, whether congressional authorization should have been sought, and how he expects the Biden administration to streamline the U.S. military presence in the Middle East.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3sA3xXl
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On Thursday, the Biden administration announced its willingness to rejoin talks with Iran over the future of its nuclear program. However, the administration's goal isn't to simply revert to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, explains Suzanne Maloney, and when it comes to Iran policy, "getting it right is more important than getting it fast."
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3saiQ93
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The protests in Russia in support of jailed anti-corruption leader Alexei Navalny are fueled by a combination of frustrations with Vladimir Putin's repressive government, Russia's stagnant economy, and the impacts of COVID, says Angela Stent. Whether demonstrations will grow into a larger, sustained movement remains to be seen, and what influence the U.S. and Europe can wield may be limited.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3ayuq6N
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In his first week in office, President Joe Biden has issued two executive orders emphasizing racial equity as a core policy at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and across the federal government writ large. Senior Fellow Andre Perry explains the significance of both orders, and more ways for the Biden administration to proactively pursue inclusive policies in its first 100 days and beyond.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/36kUz7T
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The attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol "was America at its darkest," says John Hudak, and raised "legitimate serious concerns for not just the operation of the Congress to count electoral votes, but for the continuity of government itself." Hudak examines whether Congress will seek to remove President Trump from power in his final 13 days, how successful it will be if it tries, and whether the Republican Party will reassess where it stands post-Trump.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/398TtN7
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Bruce Riedel explains why the departure of President Trump may have led the Saudis and their Gulf allies to rethink their rift with Qatar, and what reconciliation among the Gulf states will mean for the Biden administration's goals for restoring a working relationship with Iran.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3s1U4bQ
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After months of inaction and halting negotiations, Congress's $900 billion COVID economic relief package is "too little, too late." William Gale argues that while the bill makes a good start at getting relief to the American people, it still leaves a lot for the next Congress and Biden administration to address.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2Je5ZSD
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Hackers gained access to U.S. government systems in a months-long act of cyberespionage. While the full extent of the security breach is still being determined, Tarah Wheeler explains the third-party software vulnerability that enabled the hack, and what the incoming Biden administration's priorities should be to meet a higher bar for U.S. cybersecurity.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2WsRJrT
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The Trump administration's delay in acknowledging the results of the 2020 election have left President-elect Joe Biden's transition team with even less than the usual 11 weeks to fill thousands of positions and be read in on the procedures and priorities of every government agency and department. Kathryn Dunn Tenpas looks at how the delayed start may affect the incoming Biden administration and their most urgent priorities, such as distribution of a COVID vaccine.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/33YttlI
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In its final weeks, the Trump administration has sought to lock in its foreign policy priorities against the efforts of the incoming Biden administration as much as possible. Tom Wright examines what the Biden team will be facing following the Trump administration's unprecedented handling of the transition process, firing of key national security personnel, and significant withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2VVYiD5
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President Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper via tweet on Monday, raising questions about the motives and risks of shaking up leadership at the Pentagon so close to a presidential transition. Michael O'Hanlon looks at Esper's track record as secretary and the stability of civilian military leadership at the end of Trump's term.
Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2JVLQRn
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Less than two weeks before Election Day, President Trump issued an executive order which will strip job protections from civil service employees that prevent them from being fired at will, undermining the procedures supporting a merit-based civil service. Scott Anderson delves into the complex legal background and history of these civil service protections and—depending on the outcome of the election—whether a lame-duck Trump administration would be still able to implement such sweeping changes before an incoming Biden administration.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/35QRsmU
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With less than a week before voting in the 2020 election concludes, Elaine Kamarck takes a look at early voting trends--who is voting early, how many votes have already come in, and whether voter turnout will break historic records. Kamarck also explains how states are wrangling with legal challenges to expanded voting access, including this week's Supreme Court decision on Wisconsin absentee ballots.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/3ouIpka
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On Friday, the Trump administration announced it reached a new deal for normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel, a follow-up to the similar Abraham Accord deals with the UAE and Bahrain. Zach Vertin explains the role the U.S. played in agreeing to remove Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, a step crucial to Sudan's vulnerable transitional government as it navigates a pivotal transition to democracy after decades of autocratic devastation.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/3oo1iW7
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The U.S. government's antitrust case against Google will take a long time to come to trial, says Brookings Visiting Fellow Bill Baer, but what remains to be seen is how Google will defend the actions it took securing its market dominance, and whether it will amend its practices even as the lawsuit goes forward. Baer also explores the role of Congress in addressing concerns about consumer data privacy, and what this case signals for antitrust action against other major tech firms.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/37AZJhg
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To mark the UN International Day of the Girl Child, Christina Kwauk examines the state of progress on girls' education and gender equity over the last 20 years, the dangers and setbacks caused by pandemic shutdowns, and what it would mean for the U.S. to have a feminist foreign policy.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2IhT6WV
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Right-wing terrorism, like the recent plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the state government, has been the deadliest form of terrorism in the United States in recent years—and is likely to continue, says Vanda Felbab-Brown. She draws on the history of antigovernment movements in the U.S. and explains how these extremist groups have capitalized on public discontentment with the COVID recession.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/34DvvHD
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What does President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis mean for the functioning of the presidency, the White House, and the 2020 election? John Hudak describes how the executive branch can continue to operate with the president in quarantine, how continuity of government is ensured if the president becomes incapacitated, and how Trump can–and should–campaign over the next few weeks.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/3ncHNze
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New reporting on leaked suspicious activity reports from the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCen") has revealed significant flaws in U.S. and global anti-money laundering efforts. Matthew Collin explains why financial systems still host so much dirty money, despite a huge regulatory push over the last 20 years to stamp down on money laundering, and what reforms would help make banking systems cleaner.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/3cronSb
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Brookings Vice President Suzanne Maloney explains how the US attempt to trigger a "snapback" of UN sanctions against Iran as part of the JCPOA agreement "exposes the utter lack of efficacy of the Trump administration's policy." She also looks ahead to how a Biden administration might seek to reestablish negotiations toward a broader agreement.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/303LGfF
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Following the White House signing ceremony for the Abraham Accords, which normalize peaceful relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, Natan Sachs examines the driving factors behind the rapprochement. He also warns that while the peace deal is a net positive for regional relations, the Palestinians, though shunted aside, cannot be ignored.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2HanLEW
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