Can the administration and Congress move forward on $2 trillion infrastructure plan?
Release Date: 04/30/2019
What should states learn from Tuesday’s primaries for the November elections?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Current is part of the .
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Why has North Korea escalated tensions in the run-up to the Korean War anniversary?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and...
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How will new immigration restrictions affect the US economy?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Current is part of the .
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What’s fueling the India-China border skirmish?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Current is...
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How did a conservative Supreme Court rule for LGBTQ employment rights?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Current is part of the .
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What’s needed for police accountability after the killing of George Floyd?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Current is part of the .
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How does COVID-19 unemployment compare to the Great Depression?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us...
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How is Pakistan balancing religion and politics in its response to the coronavirus?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or...
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What does the Gantz-Netanyahu coalition government mean for Israel?
The Current
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: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send...
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Why are Black Americans more likely to die from COVID-19?
The Current
In this episode, Rashawn Ray attributes the huge racial gap in coronavirus death rates to the over-representation of Black workers in essential jobs and the structural inequities that have long affected Black neighborhoods, and calls for policies to empower the disenfranchised people and places being hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Full show notes and transcript: Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Current is part of the .
info_outlineBrookings Fellow Adie Tomer explains what's included in the $2 trillion infrastructure proposal announced Tuesday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer following their meeting with President Trump, and how federal infrastructure programs are woefully outdated.
Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2GSh070
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The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.