As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces the formal launch of impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, Margaret Taylor explains the significance of the whistleblower complaint regarding White House pressure on Ukraine, and why this scandal has been the one to move the House to action.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2mvB1ty 

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or on Google podcasts, 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.

With Israel's elections deadlocked between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and the centrist Blue and White party, headed by Benny Gantz, Natan Sachs explains what's at stake for Netanyahu personally, and the ramifications for Israeli politics, democracy, and U.S. relations.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2LYpkV9 

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or on Google podcasts, 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.

Following British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's move to suspend Parliament, Amanda Sloat explains the extraordinary nature of this usually standard procedure, whether the opposition in Parliament might trigger new elections with a no-confidence vote, and whether this is all a political gambit to strengthen the Conservative Party's hand in the run-up to the October 31 Brexit deadline.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2UdFX2E 

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or on Google podcasts, 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.

Under Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation of the Amazon has risen, and consequently so have the number of fires throughout the Amazon region. Nonresident Senior Fellow Otaviano Canuto addresses the need for sustainable economic development across the Amazon region, how the fires could affect Brazil's future participation in the global economy, and whether public and political support for Bolsonaro's policies will reach a breaking point. 

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2PkxX1c 

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple podcasts, 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.

Following Denmark’s rejection of a U.S. offer to buy Greenland, Scott Anderson weighs in on the diplomatic incident prompted by the White House’s cancellation of a meeting between President Trump and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Anderson explains the international principles of self-determination that shape Greenland’s increasingly autonomous relationship with Denmark, the failure of the White House’s policymaking process, and how other U.S. allies could react if the administration doesn’t take steps to deescalate.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/321Q39P 

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple podcasts, 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.

Following the resignation of Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Brookings Visiting Fellow Giovanna De Maio explains what led to the government crisis, the likelihood of Italy's political parties forming a new coalition government, and whether Matteo Salvini's League has enough popular support to win an outright majority in elections. De Maio also examines the "Moscopoli" scandal over the role of Russian financing in Italy's politics.

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

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple podcasts, 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.

Amid a turbulent week in the U.S.-China trade war, Senior Fellow David Dollar explains why the value of China’s yuan is falling and whether the U.S. Treasury Department’s designation of China as a currency manipulator is accurate. Dollar also discusses the effect that the yuan’s depreciation had on the U.S. stock market, why markets stabilized on Tuesday, and the prospects of a de-escalation of tensions.

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple podcasts, 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.

Following the U.S. withdrawal from the Cold War-era Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, Frank Rose examines the Trump administration's reasons for exiting the treaty, steps the U.S. should take to avoid escalating an arms race, and the need for any new arms control treaties to be responsive to the changing security environment in Europe and Asia.

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

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple podcasts, 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.

Following Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's meeting with President Donald Trump, Visiting Fellow Madiha Afzal examines whether this visit succeeded at repairing relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, Pakistan's role in talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, as well as Trump and Khan's personal similarities.

Full show notes: https://brook.gs/32O9mEu 

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple podcasts, 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 report from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization shows that the number of undernourished people in the world has been on the rise since 2015, with more than 2 billion lacking regular access to nutritious and sufficient food. Brookings Senior Fellow John McArthur examines the trends of rising hunger and obesity and recommends using all the sustainable development goals as a North Star to design policies to meet these twin challenges.

McArthur also explores how global momentum toward the sustainable development goals has progressed at the local level even while official intergovernmental cooperation stalls. 

Full show notes here: https://brook.gs/30Gh16e 

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple podcasts, 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.