This is an episode in three parts. First, Marcus Casey interviews James Bessen, executive director of the Technology and Policy Research Initiative at Boston University’s School of Law, on how automation and artificial intelligence are affecting middle-class jobs. Then, in David Wessel’s Economic Update, Wessel talks about how government policy might respond to the next recession. Finally, we launch Ask an Expert, student questions for Brookings scholars about issues students care about in the 2020 election. In this episode, Molly Reynolds answers a question about the Senate filibuster. If you are a student and have a question for one of our experts, email an audio file to . Subscribe to Brookings podcasts  or on , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .