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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The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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 Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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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The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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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The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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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The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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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The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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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The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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 Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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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The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

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 

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.