The Current

By The Brookings Institution

What's The Current about?

The Current brings you smart, timely, and quick analysis from Brookings experts on breaking news and changing policies. In under ten minutes, learn not only what happened, but why, and how to make sense of it.

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The Current episodes:

04.22.2024
How a divided House passed critical foreign aid bills
The U.S. House of Representatives passed four bi-partisan bills in a $95 billion foreign aid package with monies going to aid Ukraine, to the Indo-Pacific region to counter China, to offensive and defensive weapons to Israel, and to humanitarian aid...
03.28.2024
Economic impact of the Baltimore bridge collapse
The recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore after being struck by a container ship is both a human tragedy and an economic disaster. Six construction workers doing repair work on the bridge lost their lives when...
03.27.2024
What a strong economy can and can't fix
The U.S. has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic's economic disruption with a strong economy, but a strong economy alone doesn't address all the challenges Americans face. As part of the Brookings Election '24 initiative, Wendy Edelberg talks about where the...
03.14.2024
Fighting corruption's threat to democracy
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...
02.23.2024
Is Russia winning in Ukraine?
"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...
02.06.2024
What to know about Pakistan’s turbulent national elections
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...
01.26.2024
Meet Cecilia Rouse, new Brookings president
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...
12.07.2023
Taking stock of the ongoing war in Israel and Gaza
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...
12.06.2023
How anti-corruption efforts strengthen global democracy and security
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...
11.16.2023
Will positive momentum from the Biden-Xi meeting last?
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...
11.09.2023
The US-Mexico border challenge
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...
11.03.2023
Unpacking President Biden's executive order on artificial intelligence
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...
11.03.2023
What does a new rule on financial advice mean for retirement security?
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'...
10.26.2023
Who is new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson?
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...
10.25.2023
Parsing disinformation in the Israel-Hamas conflict
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...
10.19.2023
Biden in Israel and US diplomacy on the Israel-Gaza crisis
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...
10.10.2023
War in Israel and Gaza
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...
10.04.2023
What Kevin McCarthy's ouster as Speaker of the House means for governance
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...
09.29.2023
UN reform and the Global South at the 2023 General Assembly
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...
09.12.2023
India in the world after the G-20 summit
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,...
08.24.2023
What happened in the first GOP presidential debate and why it matters
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...
08.09.2023
What underlies the coup in Niger?
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...
07.28.2023
Israel's Supreme Court reform crisis
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...
06.30.2023
How will the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling affect college admissions?
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...
06.26.2023
Putin imperiled? What to know about the Wagner Group's Russian revolt
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...
06.14.2023
What do the SEC's lawsuits signal for the future of cryptocurrency?
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/ Follow The Current and all Brookings podcasts on...
04.17.2023
How is Congress handling the TikTok conundrum?
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...
03.15.2023
How will we remember Jimmy Carter's presidential legacy?
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....
03.10.2023
What's at stake in Turkey's elections?
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...
02.28.2023
Who is Ajay Banga, US nominee for World Bank president?
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...
02.04.2023
How is the US weighing in with Israel's new hardline government?
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...
01.25.2023
What's happening with the debt ceiling (again)?
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...
01.24.2023
60 years later, can France and Germany fulfill the ambitions of the Treaty of Élysée?
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....
12.08.2022
Moore v. Harper: Who has the power to set state election rules?
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...
10.25.2022
What does Xi Jinping's power move mean for China?
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...
09.16.2022
What’s on the agenda at the UN General Assembly?
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...
08.30.2022
What’s happening in Afghanistan one year after the U.S. withdrawal?
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...
08.26.2022
What will student loan forgiveness mean for Black students and families?
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...
07.22.2022
Why is Sri Lanka in crisis, and what comes next?
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...
07.08.2022
What does Shinzo Abe's assassination mean for Japan?
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...
07.01.2022
What does the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling mean for climate regulation?
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...
06.23.2022
Why is Kaliningrad at the center of a new Russia-NATO faceoff?
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...
06.09.2022
What can we expect from the January 6 committee hearings?
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...
04.26.2022
How will France’s changing political dynamics shape Macron’s next term?
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...
04.15.2022
Where does France's presidential election stand after round one?
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...
03.31.2022
What's new in the January 6 investigation?
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...
03.25.2022
Why is Pakistani PM Imran Khan facing a no-confidence vote?
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...
03.03.2022
How is Russia conducting cyber and information warfare in Ukraine?
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...
03.02.2022
Did Biden's State of the Union speech meet the moment?
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...
02.25.2022
Russia invades Ukraine: What happens next?
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...

What's The Current about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Current episodes:

How a divided House passed critical foreign aid bills

Economic impact of the Baltimore bridge collapse

What a strong economy can and can't fix

Fighting corruption's threat to democracy

Is Russia winning in Ukraine?

What to know about Pakistan’s turbulent national elections

Meet Cecilia Rouse, new Brookings president

Taking stock of the ongoing war in Israel and Gaza

How anti-corruption efforts strengthen global democracy and security

Will positive momentum from the Biden-Xi meeting last?

The US-Mexico border challenge

Unpacking President Biden's executive order on artificial intelligence

What does a new rule on financial advice mean for retirement security?

Who is new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson?

Parsing disinformation in the Israel-Hamas conflict

Biden in Israel and US diplomacy on the Israel-Gaza crisis

War in Israel and Gaza

What Kevin McCarthy's ouster as Speaker of the House means for governance

UN reform and the Global South at the 2023 General Assembly

India in the world after the G-20 summit

What happened in the first GOP presidential debate and why it matters

What underlies the coup in Niger?

Israel's Supreme Court reform crisis

How will the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling affect college admissions?

Putin imperiled? What to know about the Wagner Group's Russian revolt

What do the SEC's lawsuits signal for the future of cryptocurrency?

How is Congress handling the TikTok conundrum?

How will we remember Jimmy Carter's presidential legacy?

What's at stake in Turkey's elections?

Who is Ajay Banga, US nominee for World Bank president?

How is the US weighing in with Israel's new hardline government?

What's happening with the debt ceiling (again)?

60 years later, can France and Germany fulfill the ambitions of the Treaty of Élysée?

Moore v. Harper: Who has the power to set state election rules?

What does Xi Jinping's power move mean for China?

What’s on the agenda at the UN General Assembly?

What’s happening in Afghanistan one year after the U.S. withdrawal?

What will student loan forgiveness mean for Black students and families?

Why is Sri Lanka in crisis, and what comes next?

What does Shinzo Abe's assassination mean for Japan?

What does the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling mean for climate regulation?

Why is Kaliningrad at the center of a new Russia-NATO faceoff?

What can we expect from the January 6 committee hearings?

How will France’s changing political dynamics shape Macron’s next term?

Where does France's presidential election stand after round one?

What's new in the January 6 investigation?

Why is Pakistani PM Imran Khan facing a no-confidence vote?

How is Russia conducting cyber and information warfare in Ukraine?

Did Biden's State of the Union speech meet the moment?

Russia invades Ukraine: What happens next?