China's national security law for Hong Kong, enacted suddenly before midnight on June 30, is already chilling the media environment there and putting Hong Kong's customary high degree of autonomy under threat, says Brookings Visiting Fellow Jamie Horsley. However, Horsley cautions the U.S. against too broadly stripping away Hong Kong's special privileges in response lest it accelerate China's erosion of the region's autonomy.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/32JVQEi

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.

While the results of many of Tuesday's primary races in Kentucky and New York are still being tallied, Brookings Senior Fellow Elaine Kamarck weighs in on how states are struggling with an unprecedented increase in absentee ballot requests and what they need to do to prepare for November's general elections.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2BgZpXg

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.

The Korean War started 70 years ago, on June 25, 1950, but the division of the peninsula at the 38th parallel continues to influence every aspect of both North and South Korea's national goals. Former CIA analyst and Brookings Senior Fellow Jung Pak examines recent events, from the explosion of the joint liaison office in Kaesong to the increasing prominence of Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, and what's driving North Korea's escalation of tensions.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/38cCRTX

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.

A new White House executive order suspending temporary work visas and other avenues of legal immigration does "a big disservice to the American people," Brookings Senior Fellow Dany Bahar says. Bahar explains why the restrictions targeting high-skilled immigration hurt the U.S. economy, and the crucial role immigrants play as engines of economic growth and job creation.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2NvTSi0

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.

After weeks of rising tensions along India's northwest border with China, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese forces, the most significant skirmish between the two countries since 1967. Brookings Senior Fellow Tanvi Madan lays out potential motivations for China's escalation, and how it may affect India's internal priorities and external relationships, including with the United States.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2ARKq67

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.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to protect LGBTQ workers against employment discrimination. Brookings Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch explains the extent and limitations of the court's reasoning, and what will be the next battle for LGBTQ rights.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2YKBMOA

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.

Video footage of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police has sparked protests and led to the arrest of the officer seen kneeling on Floyd's neck. David Rubenstein Fellow Rashawn Ray places Floyd's killing into the long continuum of police violence and explains the systemic changes needed for true accountability in law enforcement.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2TPUenx

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.

The U.S. unemployment rate is now over 14%, according to the April jobs report, the highest it's been since the Great Depression.  Brookings Senior Fellow Gary Burtless explains what's different this time around, from the unprecedented rapidity of job losses to the economic support for people who have lost their jobs, and why that relief is critical to avoiding the long, drawn-out suffering of the Great Depression. 

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2SZwzQP 

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.

As Ramadan begins, Pakistan has loosened social distancing restrictions on gatherings in mosques, allowing communal prayers to go forward during the holy month. David Rubenstein Fellow Madiha Afzal explains how Prime Minister Imran Khan is taking the easy path of avoiding conflict with Pakistan's religious right and burnishing his populist credentials through cash assistance programs, while leaving it to provincial leaders to issue stronger social and economic limits to protect people from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3cLR7E5 

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.

After three inconclusive elections over the last year, Israel at last has a new government, in the form of a coalition deal between political rivals Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz. Director of the Center for Middle East Policy Natan Sachs examines the terms of the power-sharing deal, what it means for Israel's domestic priorities as well as plans to annex parts of the West Bank, and what lessons can be learned from a previous coalition government in the late 1980s. 

Full show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/2VrW5QI 

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.