As teachers across the country pack up their classrooms for summer break, we sit down with RAND education researchers Elizabeth Steiner and Ashley Woo. They discuss their recent findings on teachers' stress, compensation, use of AI, and more.

RAND's David Luckey discusses what's contributing to the supply of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in the United States, the biggest challenges to stopping the flow of these drugs across U.S. borders, and why we need a “whole-of-nation” approach to address the crisis.

RAND's David Ochmanek discusses the erosion of U.S. military power and influence. Ochmanek, who previously served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense under two different administrations, breaks down why U.S. defense strategy and posture have become "insolvent," lessons from the war in Ukraine that the United States could apply to future conflicts, and how the U.S. military can learn to "fight differently."

RAND's Beth Asch, a renowned expert on military personnel economics and defense manpower, breaks down the recruiting crisis the U.S. military has faced in recent years, why enlistment numbers rebounded last year, and what the service branches should focus on to ensure a capable force for the future.

What if all your coworkers … were geniuses? On Policy Minded, we pick the brains of the world’s top policy experts, so you can get smarter about the issues that shape the world. Our first episode drops May 15th, 2025.

Emergency management is essential to all communities, but it isn't a field that most people think about often or understand well. Patrick Roberts and Mary Ellen Carroll join us to discuss what today’s emergency managers do to support communities, how the field is evolving, and why emergency management matters to all of us. For more information on this episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Big changes to the podcast. Plus, RAND has a new website. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Assessing global catastrophic risk; how “mercurial leadership” at SpaceX could threaten national security; the actual dangers of geoengineering; and protecting your sleep during election season. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

What to make of Russia and North Korea’s relationship; why Yahya Sinwar’s death matters; the effectiveness of U.S. economic policies toward China; abortion access for minors in Virginia; and how to restore freshwater ecosystems. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Expert insights on the crisis in the Middle East, including the humanitarian disaster, where the war might be headed next, and prospects for ending the conflict. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.