Podcasts about Brookings Institution

The City of Seattle is holding its inaugural Indigenous Civic Engagement Day for urban Natives Friday. As Brian Bull of Underscore Native News reports, the goal is to help the city's Native population connect with officials, services, and funding opportunities. Since 2023, Seattle has held a bi-annual Tribal Summit for members of recognized tribes within the state of Washington, but feedback from several attendees said they would appreciate an event for those Natives who are not necessarily from that group, including Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native, and tribes from other parts of the United States. So Kolbi Monasmith (Cherokee), who is with the Indigenous Advisory Council, says all day Friday, Seattle's city hall will be open for those interested in learning more. “Starting on a base level of: How does the City of Seattle work? How do you advocate for policy within that system? How do you advocate within the city budget system? How does that budget system even work? To build up the knowledge and also build those connections.” Tia Yazzie (Diné), who is also with the Indigenous Advisory Council, said Native voices often go unheard within local politics, so organizers wanted a day and space for people to participate, advocate, and learn about the processes within the Seattle system. “But also to have a fun day. We know learning about these things can be very hard and complex, but we want things to be fun for our families and for also the youth to be involved. So that was one of our big goals, was to have the native community, but also youth involved into this whole community event.” To that end, there will be bingo cards, and demonstrations on beading and making lanyards, as well as headshots taken during the event. It is also the five-year anniversary for the nine-member Indigenous Advisory Council. Yazzie says this has encouraged engagement. “Seattle’s unique in that we have a very special urban native environment and community here that wants to engage in these processes more often than not, and then also to create these programs such as the civic engagement day for or make a space for us, and I think that’s one of the reasons why the IAC was created.” Surveys will be sent to attendees of Friday's civic engagement day to see how effective the City of Seattle was at educating and connecting with its urban Natives. (Courtesy College of Menominee Nation) Tribal Colleges and Universities are a valuable resource for both Native and non-Native residents, but a new report finds the institutions are facing a growing funding squeeze, as Judith Ruiz-Branch reports. A new analysis finds TCUs in Wisconsin are producing measurable economic returns while struggling with longstanding funding disparities. Now, one is focusing its efforts on philanthropy to secure a successful future for students. Findings from the Brookings Institution and the American Indian College Fund show federal support for Tribal campuses has fallen more than 7% over the past decade, despite treaty and trust obligations. College of Menominee Nation President Chris Caldwell says despite their economic value and community impact, Tribal institutions have long needed to advocate for equitable funding and resources that mainstream institutions more readily access. “In grant programs, often times we wear a lot of hats here that mainstream institutions don’t have to wear just because of lack of staffing or resources. So being competitive in that context is always a challenge.” The report says every $1.00 invested in TCUs returns $1.60 in tax revenue and public sector savings. A separate economic impact study found CMN generated $16 million for surrounding counties in one year. Caldwell says the college is now increasing its focus on securing philanthropy contributions and demonstrating the impact on students' lives. A graduate of CMN, he says his experience as a student helped put him on the path to becoming its president. “If we were to look around before the college started to today, you would see a big change in how many Tribal members are in high leadership areas, and not just on our reservation, but in surrounding communities.” The report recommends Congress make greater use of mandatory funding when supporting Native communities, suggesting that strategy would help Tribal colleges plan ahead. American Indian College Fund President Cheryl Crazy Bull says investments in Tribal communities are once again becoming an afterthought – and warns proposed cuts could threaten schools just as they’re finding new ways to reach students. “We’re becoming very adept at online education, so the Tribal colleges are able to bring that culturally rich education that Native people want, where they see themselves and they go to school with each other, even online.” Advocates note the federal government also does not provide enough detailed information about how much money is actually reaching Tribal communities. Crazy Bull says they are pushing for improved data access so Native-serving institutions can determine where the biggest unmet needs remain. And on this day in 1790, a presidential proclamation concerning treaty violations against Native nations appeared in a U.S. newspaper. President George Washington responded to violations of treaties between the United States and the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Nations. The proclamation came during the early years of U.S. treaty-making with sovereign Native nations. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, September 18, 2026 — Native Playlist: Kole Galbraith and Laura Ortman

Men die by suicide at dramatically higher rates than women, accounting for nearly 80% of suicide deaths. Yet many men who are struggling never seek mental health support — and the consequences can be deadly. On this episode, host Gabe Howard talks with psychiatrist Dr. Sanjay Mathew, board president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and Richard Reeves, president of the American Institute for Boys and Men and author of “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It.”The conversation explores why traditional mental health language and services may not resonate with some men, how anger and irritability can be overlooked warning signs, and why men may be reluctant to seek or continue treatment. They examine the importance of friendship, community, purpose, and feeling needed — and why men may sometimes hold themselves to such high standards that they count themselves out before they even begin.Listeners will learn: how adjusting the language around mental health may increase engagement among men why connection and belonging can be critical to men's well-being how friends and family can help prevent male suicide  why mental health treatment and therapy are a sign of strength, not weakness Most importantly, the episode challenges the idea that improving men's mental health means taking anything away from women. The goal, the guests argue, is not either/or — it's helping everyone thrive. Listen now to learn more. This episode has been sponsored by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).  “I think sending that message to men and perhaps especially to young men, ‘We need you,' is actually something that as a culture, we're not doing very well now.” ~Richard Reeves, author of “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It” Our guest, Richard V. Reeves, is the founder and president of the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM). Before founding AIBM in 2023, Reeves was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. While at Brookings, he focused on policies related to economic inequality, racial justice, social mobility, and boys and men. Reeves is the author of several books, including “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters, and What to do About It” and “Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That is a Problem, and What to do About It.” Inspired by his own experiences as a father and policy expert, Reeves founded AIBM to bring awareness to the challenges facing boys and men today and to develop evidence-based solutions. Our guest, Dr. Sanjay Mathew, is a professor and department head in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Texas A&M University's Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine. Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington. Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can't imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.

Photo: Flooding in Chinle on the Navajo Nation prompted evacuations this week. (Courtesy Shawna Ann Claw / Facebook) Three people are dead after they were washed away in a flood on the Navajo Nation just after midnight on Wednesday. As KNAU's Chris Clements reports, several communities are dealing with damage from the recent rainfall. Navajo police responded to reports that two adults and a juvenile were swept away by floodwaters near the Newcomb, New Mexico area shortly after midnight. Search and rescue crews found the three dead after searching the area into the early morning hours. Investigators say they drowned. Several Navajo communities are dealing with flooding, including Chinle and Many Farms. Officials have not released details about any damage or injuries. They urge residents along Highway 191 between mileposts 451 to 454 and other low terrain flood zones to evacuate. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed an emergency declaration in response to the flooding. He said tribal members should use extreme caution around flooded roads and washes, adding that conditions can change quickly. NANA Regional Corporation headquarters in Anchroage, Alaska, where a AFN listening session on subsistence management took place. (Photo: Wonderlane / Flickr) The Alaska Federation of Natives is holding a series of listening sessions focused on the priorities, concerns, and values Alaska Native people want reflected in subsistence management. A session was held Wednesday at the NANA Regional Corporation office building in Anchorage, following earlier meetings in Bethel, Fairbanks, and Nome. Additional sessions are scheduled September 21 in Juneau, September 28 in Ketchikan, and October 1 in Copper Center. AFN says the sessions are intended to hear directly from communities about the challenges facing subsistence users and the principles and values that should guide future changes. People can also submit feedback to AFN online. (Courtesy American Indian College Fund) A new Brookings report says federal cuts and meager philanthropic support are widening long-standing funding gaps across Nebraska and Indian Country, threatening education, health care, infrastructure, and economic development, as Mark Richardson reports. The analysis calls for stable federal funding and sustained investment in Native-led institutions, including Tribal Colleges and Universities. Comments came from Little Priest Tribal College president Manoj Patil from Winnebago, Nebraska, American Indian College Fund president and CEO Cheryl Crazy Bull, and Rob Maxim, the report’s author and a fellow at The Brookings Institution. The pressure is especially sharp in higher education. The Brookings Institution and the American Indian College Fund released the analysis. Patil says pandemic-era investments brought temporary gains to Native colleges, but recent federal actions have reversed much of that momentum. “This constant threat of funding cuts impedes our growth because we are not sure whether to be aggressive in offering new programs or to be careful. That’s the biggest issue we face.” Patil adds there are only 34 TCUs in the U-S and Little Priest is one of only two such institutions in Nebraska. He says every $1.00 invested in TCUs returns $1.60 in tax revenue, benefiting both Native and non-Native communities. American Indian College Fund President Cheryl Crazy Bull says the report provides significant evidence of chronic underfunding by the federal government, despite trust and treaty obligations to Native Americans. “You can’t really have this self-determination in the Native community without being a culturally grounded, well-educated person.” Maxim osays high-profile figures like Amazon co-founder MacKenzie Scott will occasionally step up with notable contributions to Indian Country, but he says it is rare. “It is really hard for Tribal leaders themselves, for Native-serving institutions to make decisions based on the lack of data that’s out there.” Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, September 17, 2026 — After decades of work, tribes overcome language revitalization barriers

On today's podcast, Executive Editor Natalie Orpett sits down with Constanze Stelzenmüller, Director and Fritz Stern Chair of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, to discuss what's going on in the German political scene, where a far-right party, the AfD, is making a strong showing in state elections. They talk about what the party stands for, why its emergence is alarming the pro-democracy community, and what it all means for Germany, for Europe, for the United States, and for the future of Western democracies.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Grand Tamasha commemorates the release of our 300th episode. We started this show as an experiment in the run-up to India's 2019 general elections. Seven years and 300 episodes later, we're still around, and no one is more surprised than we are.While India has changed in many ways over the past seven years, one constant has been our occasional Grand Tamasha roundtables with Sadanand Dhume of the Wall Street Journal and the Council on Foreign Relations and Tanvi Madan of the Brookings Institution. It seemed only natural to celebrate our 300th episode by having them both on to discuss the latest in Indian politics and foreign policy. This week on the show, Milan, Sadanand, and Tanvi discuss the political fall-out of this summer's Gen Z protests, the political future of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and the churn within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Plus, the trio discuss Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the potential thaw in China-India relations, and whether ties between India and the United States can weather the current turbulence.Episode notes:1. Sadanand Dhume, “An India-China Rapprochement Isn't in the Cards,” Wall Street Journal, September 9, 2026.2. Sadanand Dhume, “India's Global Image Problem,” Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2026. 3. Sadanand Dhume, “‘Cockroaches' Threaten to Overrun Narendra Modi's Kitchen,” Wall Street Journal, July 29, 2026. 4. Tanvi Madan, “India's Strategy for Economic Security: Deny, Indigenize, and Diversify,” Asia Policy 21, no. 3 (2026).

In this episode, I had the chance to chat with the Aaron Klein, the Miriam K. Carliner Chair and senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution.Aaron and I had a wide-ranging discussion on consumer payment and consumer credit regulation and public policy, including:* Why, despite the existence of The Clearing House RTP and FedNow, U.S. consumers don't have widespread free or low-cost access to instant payments* The link between remote deposit capture, plane loads of checks, and 9/11* Consumer credit and small-dollar lending, including overdrafts, payday loans, and fintech apps such as EarnIn, Dave, and MoneyLion* Why someone with a bank account would use a check casher* And much more!A reminder, if you're enjoying this show, please follow, rate & review on your preferred podcast platform, as it really helps others to find the show.And if you want to help support Fintech Business Weekly and independent journalism, upgrade to a paid subscription or reach more than 93,000+ listeners by sponsoring an episode. Get full access to Fintech Business Weekly at fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Ben Harris, Director of the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, joins the Inside Economics team to discuss his new research on how AI could shape the nation's fiscal outlook. The bottom line: it's complicated. AI has the potential to lift economic growth and ease pressure on the budget, but it won't erase the difficult choices ahead on taxes, spending, and the nation's long-term debt path.Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody's Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody's Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody's AnalyticsFollow Mark Zandi on 'X' and BlueSky @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedInGuest: Ben Harris, Director of Economic Studies Program, Brookings InstitutionView our latest articles and research on AI- https://www.economy.com/ai-insight-hub Questions or Comments, please email us at InsideEconomics@moodys.com. We would love to hear from you. To stay informed and follow the insights of Moody's Analytics economists, visit Economic View. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nellie Liang is a former Treasury and Federal Reserve official and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. In Nellie's first appearance on the show, she discusses the future of stablecoins following the GENIUS Act, what stablecoins mean for private money and illicit finance, Fed master accounts, the global role of the dollar, and much more. Watch the full length video on our new YouTube Channel! Check out the transcript for this week's episode, now with links. Recorded on August 18th, 2026 Subscribe to David's Substack: Macroeconomic Policy Nexus Follow David Beckworth on X: @DavidBeckworth Follow the show on X: @Macro_Musings Check out our Macro Musings merch! Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:23 - Nellie's Career 00:05:48 - The GENIUS Act 00:11:31 - Stablecoins as Private Money 00:27:32 - Fed Master Accounts 00:29:53 - Dollar as Global Reserve Currency 00:35:42 - Stablecoins and US Debt 00:46:49 - Nellie's Policy Recommendations 00:50:11 - Outro

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to bring major economic changes, including raising productivity, widening inequality, and causing widespread job displacement. There are associated consequences for federal debt which is now historically high relative to national income. Could policy responses such as support for displaced workers, raising taxes on AI profits, or even government ownership of companies help reduce the projected rise in government debt and ameliorate the disruptions from this new technology? Louise Sheiner joins EconoFact Chats to discuss these questions, drawing on a recent paper she wrote with Karen Dynan and Douglas Elmendorf. Louise is the Robert S. Kerr Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and policy director for the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. She previously served at the Federal Reserve, the US Treasury, and the Council of Economic Advisers.

The cost-of-living crisis isn't coming. It's already here. Nearly half of American households can't even afford to survive right now.According to a Brookings Institution report just released in May 2026, 45.5% of U.S. households did not earn enough to cover their necessities in 2024. That's food, housing, transportation, healthcare. Just the basics. On today's show, we're going to break down what's happening with the cost-of-living crisis. We're going to talk about inflation eating wages, what it means to be middle class today, and the only way to escape the cost-of-living crisis. 

The future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) has rarely been more uncertain. Since its creation, the CFPB has been at the center of intense political and policy debate, with its priorities changing dramatically as administrations change. The events of the past year or so under the leadership of Acting Directors chosen by President Trump, however, have taken that policy whiplash to a new level. In our latest Consumer Finance Monitor podcast released today, Alan Kaplinsky (the founder and former leader for 25 years of the Consumer Financial Services Group at our firm) was joined by two former CFPB officials with decades of experience inside the Bureau: Jason Brown, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and former CFPB Assistant Director for Research, and David Silberman, former Acting Deputy Director and longtime Associate Director for Research, Markets and Regulation. We discussed their recent Brookings commentary, "The CFPB: Where to Go From Here," which proposes a series of structural reforms designed to make the Bureau a more stable and effective financial regulator. Their recommendations are noteworthy not because they seek to preserve every aspect of the CFPB as it has operated in the past. Rather, they focus on a more fundamental question: How can the CFPB carry out its statutory mission while allowing presidential administrations to pursue different policy agendas without repeatedly dismantling and rebuilding the agency? Consumer Finance Monitor is hosted by Alan Kaplinsky, Senior Counsel at Ballard Spahr, and the founder and former chair of the firm's Consumer Financial Services Group. We encourage listeners to subscribe to the podcast on their preferred platform for weekly insights into developments in the consumer finance industry.

From September 28, 2021: Over the weekend, Germany held elections to see who will succeed Angela Merkel as Germany's chancellor. The results are in, but there's still a lot of coalition building to go. To break it all down, Jacob Schulz sat down with Constanze Stelzenmüller, the Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Yascha Mounk, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced and International Studies, both of whom are experts in German politics. They talked about the election, how to make sense of the results, and what everything means for the bigger picture of European politics, Germany's role in the world and more.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For decades, Africa has too often been viewed through the narrow lenses of crisis, conflict, and poverty. But today's guest has spent a lifetime making the case that the continent is far more accurately understood as a place of extraordinary opportunity, innovation, diplomacy, and global importance. Joining me is Witney Schneidman—former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the Clinton Administration, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, founder of an Africa-focused consulting practice, board member of the Corporate Council on Africa, and advisory board member of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art. In his new memoir, This Africa Idea: A Memoir of Discovery, Diplomacy, and Opportunity, Schneidman reflects on a career that placed him at the center of pivotal moments in modern African history—from South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy and the peace process in Angola to the creation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, one of the most significant U.S.-Africa trade initiatives in history. Today we'll discuss diplomacy, economic development, leadership, entrepreneurship, and why Africa's future matters more than ever—not only to Africans, but to the entire world.

Artificial intelligence is emerging as both a powerful source of competition between the United States and China and an area where the two countries may have a shared interest in reducing risk. Washington and Beijing have sharply different views about technology, national security, and governance, yet they also face some of the same potential dangers from increasingly capable AI systems—from cyberattacks and biological threats to unintended escalation and the loss of human control over critical decisions. With U.S.-China talks on AI expected to take place ahead of the Trump-Xi summit later this month, a pressing question is whether the two countries can carve out practical areas of cooperation even as they compete intensely over the technology itself. What could realistically be achieved in those talks, where do American and Chinese concerns about AI risks converge or diverge, and can the two sides keep discussions about risk reduction separate from the broader struggle over technology and export controls? To unpack those objectives and what a credible outcome might look like, we are joined by Mark MacCarthy. Mark is a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in the Governance Studies program's Center for Technology Innovation and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, where he teaches on the governance of emerging technology, AI ethics, and privacy. He is the author of Regulating Digital Industries: How Public Oversight Can Encourage Competition, Protect Privacy, and Ensure Free Speech. He also recently co-authored an article on how the US and China can cooperate to reduce urgent AI risks, which you can find on the Brookings website. Timestamps: [00:00] Introduction [02:17] The Need for US-China AI Cooperation and Risks [04:32] Converging on AI Risk Reduction [07:18] Setting Guardrails Amidst Competition [10:14] World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation [13:33] Trump-Xi Talks: A Technical Exchange [18:31] Who Needs To Be At the Table [21:25] Low Hanging Fruit for Cooperation [24:39] Assessing Bill Gates' Recommendations [28:30] Different Approaches to Technology and Governance

On this episode, Mark Simon talks to Kuwilileni Williams-Hauwanga, the deputy director of Audience & Innovation at Capital B, a newsroom that covers stories of crucial importance to Black people across the country, such as politics, health, criminal justice, the environment, and rural issues.Kuwilileni is an accomplished multimedia storyteller who previously worked at the Brookings Institution, IndieWire, Business Insider, and Buzzfeed. Our conversation focused primarily on an oral history project that Kuwilileni is helping to lead. It's the For The Record Archive, a joint venture of Capital B and PushBlack intended to provide 250 oral histories of the Black American experience.We talked about Kuwilileni's work history, the project's origins, why it's important, and provided examples of the different types of oral histories shared.  Kuwililileni's salutes: MLK 50 and The 19thSubscribe to our newsletter hereYou can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here,Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark Simon's website MarkSimonmedia.comMark Simon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-simon-92355124/

Donald Kohn is a 40-year veteran of the Federal Reserve System and a senior fellow in the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution. Don returns to the program to discuss the lessons of the Greenspan Fed, how Kevin Warsh should think about communication and forward guidance, why inflation remains a concern, the Fed's new task forces, the future of its monetary policy tools, and much more. Watch the full length video on our new YouTube Channel! Check out the transcript for this week's episode, now with links. Recorded on July 22nd, 2026 Subscribe to David's Substack: Macroeconomic Policy Nexus Follow David Beckworth on X: @DavidBeckworth Follow the show on X: @Macro_Musings Check out our Macro Musings merch! Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:25 - Working with Paul Volcker 00:08:22 - Working with Alan Greenspan 00:22:11 - The Kevin Warsh Fed 00:31:21 - Fighting Inflation 00:43:26 - Balance Sheet Task Force 01:08:21 - Outro

Nearly a week after the Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to dissolve, the consequences are beginning to take shape for Syria's Kurds and neighbouring Turkey. As the former US-backed force is absorbed into the Syrian state, questions remain over what the country's Kurds have secured in return – from language and political rights to protections for women – and what the end of more than a decade of Kurdish-led autonomy means for Turkey's own conflict with Kurdish militants. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi announced the force's dissolution last Tuesday, saying its fighters would be integrated into the Syrian army. At its height, the predominantly Kurdish force numbered around 100,000 fighters and controlled nearly a fifth of Syrian territory in the northeast, including major oil fields and fertile land. Under SDF rule, Kurds gained cultural and political rights denied to them under previous governments in Damascus. “It means the end of Kurdish autonomy. After more than one decade of freedom, now they are under the control of Damascus,” said Syria expert Fabrice Balanche of Lyon University, who frequently visited the region. Kurdish rights “There are no guarantees for the Kurdish language because it's just a presidential decree: ‘let the Kurds use their language and teach Kurdish in schools,' but there is nothing in the constitution,” Balanche said. The decree, issued by President Ahmed al-Sharaa in January, recognised Kurdish as a national language and allowed it to be taught in schools in areas with significant Kurdish populations. It also restored citizenship to Kurds who had been left stateless under measures stemming from a controversial 1962 census and made Nowruz, the Kurdish New Year festival, an official national holiday. The Education Ministry followed up on 27 August with rules providing for three Kurdish-language classes a week in public and private schools in areas with significant Kurdish populations, with marks counting towards pupils' final grades. ‘Words and promises not enough' as Syria's Kurds face uncertain future Abdi was also appointed as an adviser to al-Sharaa on Friday, days after announcing the SDF's dissolution. It remains unclear whether the role will be more than ceremonial. But questions remain over what the end of the Kurdish-led administration will mean for women. The SDF and affiliated institutions used a system in which governing bodies were jointly headed by a man and a woman. “During these 10 years of autonomy, men and women were equal,” Balanche said. “In the region's administration. It was always a co-presidency. In Raqqah, for example, the mayor was Leyla Mustafa, a woman, and the co-president was a man. Now that is no longer the case.” Balanche also said the change could threaten restrictions on polygamy introduced under the Kurdish-led administration. Another unresolved question is what will happen to female SDF fighters as the force is absorbed into Syria's armed forces, which currently have no female troops. Shifting alliances For years, the SDF was Washington's main partner on the ground in Syria in the fight against the Islamic State group. But its position weakened as the United States built closer relations with Syria's new rulers. A Syrian government offensive in January seized large areas held by the SDF and pushed the Kurdish-led force back into negotiations over integration with Damascus. Washington, meanwhile, has increasingly embraced al-Sharaa's government, dismantling broad sanctions against Syria in 2025 and last week removing the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Turkey has emerged as one of al-Sharaa's main foreign allies and has long pressed for the SDF to disarm and integrate into the Syrian state. Ankara considers the SDF a terrorist organisation linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. The SDF has rejected Turkey's claim that it is an extension of the PKK. A year after Assad's fall, Syrian hopes for transitional justice are fading The United States and European Union designate the PKK as a terrorist organisation, but not the SDF. Turkey has carried out several cross-border military operations against the SDF in northern Syria since 2016 and still has thousands of troops stationed in the country. Ankara says those forces will remain until the security threats it faces have been eliminated. The SDF's dissolution therefore achieves a longstanding Turkish objective in Syria. Turkey's ruling AK Party welcomed the move last week as an important step towards strengthening Syria's unity. “Stability in Syria means Turkey perhaps being able to divert some of the resources it's been spending on counterterrorism into other areas of its defense that are absolutely necessary at a time like this, a time of regional turmoil,” said Turkey expert Asli Aydintasbas of the Washington-based Brookings Institution. Turkey's Kurdish conflict The SDF's dissolution could also remove an obstacle to the fragile peace process between Ankara and the PKK. The process is intended to end the PKK's decades-long armed campaign against the Turkish state through the group's disarmament and dissolution. Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the group to disarm and disband in February 2025, and the PKK announced three months later that it would do so. A group of militants symbolically burned their weapons at a ceremony in northern Iraq in July 2025. Turkey's parliament passed a law in August establishing a legal framework for the PKK's disbandment. Kurdish politicians have said broader democratic and legal reforms will also be needed for lasting peace. Macron to become first Western European leader to visit post-Assad Syria For Ankara, however, the process does not stop at Turkey's borders. It has repeatedly insisted that the SDF must also dissolve, because it regards the Syrian force as part of the same militant movement as the PKK. The SDF has disputed that characterisation, with Abdi saying in 2025 that the PKK's decision to disarm did not apply to his forces in Syria. The dismantling of groups Ankara regards as PKK affiliates across the region is essential to the process, said Middle East expert Serhan Afacan of Istanbul's Marmara University. “The PKK should not exist anywhere in the region. This is what Ankara has been saying for more than a year,” Afacan said. “If there is going to be any kind of peace process or reconciliation, the PKK is not supposed to exist anywhere in this region, in Turkey, in Iran, in Iraq, Syria.”

As the US hurtles towards the November midterms, data centres have become a major election issue, with politicians across the political divide joining voters in demanding a moratorium on new construction.  Even Erin Brockovich is getting involved in a campaign sweeping the country.  Today, Nicol Turner Lee, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, on the backlash against data centres and what it says about Australia's approach as the debate heats up. Featured: Nicol Turner Lee, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution 

Are political tactics quietly eroding your right to vote before Election Day even arrives?As mail-in balloting approaches, a high-stakes legal battle is forcing an emergency showdown at the Supreme Court. While disruptive political strategies rely on breaking the rules first and letting the courts catch up later, the actual facts tell a completely different story.Michael Steele pulls back the curtain on the real numbers behind election integrity. You'll get a clear breakdown of a landmark Brookings Institution study revealing that mail-in voter fraud occurs at a virtually non-existent rate of 0.000043%.Catch Michael Steele on The Weeknight Mondays - Fridays at 7pm EST on MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/weeknightFollow Michael on X: https://x.com/MichaelSteeleFollow Michael on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/michaelsteele.bsky.socialFollow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chairman_steele/Follow Michael on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@chairman_steeleListen to The Michael Steele Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-michael-steele-podcast/id1412905534Watch The Michael Steele Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJNKzTkCZE9uNqPiKYw5eU5YkS_mMsr6oIf you enjoyed this, be sure to share it with a friend!

What the hell is Beijing doing to seduce Washington? Join us for the last in our summer book series for a discussion with Dr. Audrye Wong for a conversation about her new book, Subversion and Seduction: China's Economic Statecraft. How the hell has Beijing gained influence inside the United States? What the hell are their carrots and sticks? We debrief the state of China's seduction campaign and Audrye's policy suggestions to counter Beijing.Audrye Wong is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where her work focuses on China's foreign policy, economic statecraft, propaganda and disinformation campaigns, and foreign influence operations. Previously, Dr. Wong was a professor at the University of Southern California and postdoctoral fellow at the Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft joint program of the Harvard Kennedy School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Security Studies Program. She has also held affiliations with Harvard's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the Wilson Center, the Brookings Institution, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She is fluent in Mandarin. Dr. Wong holds a PhD, MA and AB from Princeton.Read the transcript here.Subscribe to our Substack here.

President Donald Trump signs an Executive Order renaming Lake Ontario on the U.S.-Canadian border to Lake America, as the U.S.-Canada trade war shows no sign of ending; President Trump flies to Houston, Texas to raise money for Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, who is in a close race with Democratic nominee James Talarico; House Speaker Mike Johnson also campaigns today in Texas for Republican U.S. House candidates in Congressional districts that could decide the balance of power after election day; Data centers have become a campaign issue around the country seemingly overnight. We will talk about it with Nicol Turner Lee, director of the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation (34); Attorney General Todd Blanche in Puerto Rico announces a major international drug trafficking bust; Federal judge holds a hearing on the future of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, both its renovation and whether to add Donald Trump's name to the facade; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says goodbye on her last day on the job at the White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Dr. Michael O'Hanlon, the Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy as well as the director research for the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution and author of the new book — “To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution” — joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss lessons from the Ukraine and Iran wars for ground forces worldwide; the role of drones in the close fight and future of land vehicles; magazine depth and deterrence; recent moves by the acting Army Chief Gen. Chris LaNeve including his decision to convert a new drone battalion to an airborne infantry unit; deterring Russia as its provocations against NATO increase; and the US defense budget outlook and importance of oversight.

Lawfare Foreign Policy Editor Daniel Byman sits down with Andrew Yeo, senior fellow and the Korea Foundation Chair at the Brookings Institution's Center for Asia Policy Studies and professor of politics at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., to talk about Trump's decision to engage in talks with North Korea's leader while curtailing military exercises with South Korea. They discuss what might be expected from negotiations with North Korea, how Seoul perceives Trump's policy changes, and how curtailing military exercises will affect South Korean and U.S. capabilities.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Harris is vice president and director of economic studies at the Brookings Institution and previously served in senior economic policy roles at the Treasury Department and Council of Economic Advisers. Ben returns to the program to discuss why recent economic shocks have been less damaging than expected, the outlook for inflation and energy markets, whether AI can improve the U.S. fiscal outlook, why we should temper our AI optimism, how longer lifespans and higher interest rates could complicate the fiscal picture, and much more. Watch the full length video on our new YouTube Channel! Check out the transcript for this week's episode, now with links. Recorded on July 20th, 2026 Subscribe to David's Substack: Macroeconomic Policy Nexus Follow David Beckworth on X: @DavidBeckworth Follow the show on X: @Macro_Musings Follow Ben on X: @econ_harris Check out our Macro Musings merch! Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:55 - Reasons We Were Wrong 00:11:58 - Stubborn Inflation 00:14:57 - Crude Is Not Really the Problem 00:20:12 - A Novel Sanctions Regime 00:30:35 - Temper Your AI Optimism 00:39:34 - Longer Lives, But Larger Debt 00:45:00 - AI and the Future of Interest Rates 00:49:24 - Policy Implications 00:56:26 - Outro

Artificial intelligence may feel like something that lives on our phones or in chatbots, but behind it all is very real infrastructure being built across the country. Nicol Turner Lee of the Brookings Institution explains why the data center boom is becoming a major issue for communities, from electricity and water use to noise, costs, jobs, and more. Plus, why there could be potential benefits, too, but what communities should do to make sure they are not left with the consequences while big tech gets all the rewards.   Learn more about our guest(s): https://www.theNewsWorthy.com/shownotes Join us again for our 15-minute daily news roundups every Mon-Fri!  Become an INSIDER and get ad-free episodes here: https://www.theNewsWorthy.com/insider Get The NewsWorthy MERCH here: https://www.theNewsWorthy.com/merch Sponsors: Sleep cooler this summer with Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/newsworthy with code newsworthy For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping and free treats for life, when you head to Smalls.com/NEWSWORTHY. To advertise on our podcast, please email: ad-sales@libsyn.com

Tensions between Turkey and Israel have intensified after an Israeli airstrike targeted a Syrian military airbase near the Turkish border. The strike came days after Turkey's new military pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Ankara swiftly condemned Tuesday's Israeli airstrike on Syria's Abu Duhur military airbase, 70 kilometres from its border, calling it illegal and a breach of Syrian sovereignty. Ankara is a key ally of Syria's new authorities. Israel justified its actions, accusing Turkey of seeking to expand its military footprint in Syria, which it sees as a serious threat. “Israel is uneasy about the Turkish presence in Syria, and Turkish ambitions to play a major role in Syria's future are unsettling from an Israeli perspective,” explains Turkey expert Gallia Lindenstrauss of Israel's Institute for National Security Studies. “There's concern that Turkey will establish its own bases in Syria,” she added. Israeli-Turkish tensions have risen over Israel's war in Gaza and Lebanon, and Ankara's support of Hamas, evolving into a broader regional rivalry. “In general, there's uneasiness [in Israel] about Turkey's assertiveness, both in Syria and in the Mediterranean and other parts of the Middle East and the greater regional arena," said Lindenstrauss.  Landmark agreement Earlier this month, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan made headlines by signing a landmark military accord in the Saudi city of Mecca. Known as the Mecca Accord, this alliance pledges mutual defence if any member is attacked, akin to NATO's Article 5. Turkish international relations expert Soli Ozel claims the impetus for the agreement is uncertainty around Washington's willingness or ability to protect its regional allies amid ongoing tensions involving Iran. “Undoubtedly, the United States is proving to be an increasingly unreliable partner. Countries worldwide, especially in the larger Middle East region, are looking for other ways to provide security for themselves,” said Ozel. Iran says ‘Muslim Nato' pact reflects retreat from US security umbrella The Mecca Accord members view each other as bringing complementary strengths to deal with shared concerns. "Pakistan brings military capabilities and is a nuclear power. The Saudis have the money. Turkey has a budding defence industry and a large army. It claims not to be against any country, but I think those three parties agree that Iran is a destabilising actor, as is Israel,” explained Ozel. The Mecca Accord is set to boost defence and intelligence ties, with Saudi Arabia expected to bolster Turkey's expanding defence sector. But many analysts see Iran and Israel as the accord's principal focus. “The deal is meant to signal both to Iran and Israel that they will be isolated in the region if they continue with assertive, belligerent policies,” said Asli Aydintasbas of the United States-based Brookings Institution. Turkey steps up as Europe's indispensable and uncomfortable defence partner 'Two axes in the Middle East' Despite Iran's recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, Aydintasbas argues that while the Mecca Accord has a mutual defence clause – meaning an attack on one member is an attack on all – Turkey and Pakistan will not be drawn into a conflict with Iran. “We know that they have no desire to get involved. But it does mean there will be greater military cooperation,” said Aydintasbas. Countering Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea on Saudi tankers could be the first real test of the alliance. But Aydintasbas cautions that the Mecca Accord will not replace the US as the “ultimate security provider” for the region. Instead, it's more about burden sharing, a move that fits well with Washington's wider agenda. Washington has given its blessing to the accord, and expansion talks are already under way.  European Union slams 'inflammatory' Houthi Red Sea tanker attack Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hinted that Egypt could be the next member, with Turkish media reporting that Egypt's foreign minister will join his Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani counterparts for a meeting in Istanbul later this month. “Developments in Egypt are of major concern to Israel,” said Lindenstrauss. But she believes the Mecca Accord is an opportunity for Israel, given there are mutual concerns among its allies over the Accord. “Israel already has very close relations with Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and India,” she noted. "And I do envision a deepening of this relationship. And so we have the formation of two loose axes in the Greater Middle East."

Detained at Green Card Interview: How a Bay Area Family Is Healing From Sudden Separation Since the Trump Administration's deportation campaign began last year, more than 100,000 children who are American citizens have had a parent detained, according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution. Peter, who is married to an American citizen, was the main caregiver to his son when he was taken into custody at his green card interview in November 2025. As KQED early education reporter Daisy Nguyen reports, the sudden separation took a toll not only on him and his wife, but also on their developing baby.  At This Los Angeles Rehab, Moms in Recovery Live With Their Children Mothers who struggle with addiction and substance abuse are often reluctant to get treatment because going through a rehabilitation program could mean leaving their kids behind at home. Residential rehabs that let mothers bring their kids are extremely rare. But there is one program in Southern California that's one of the very few across the country, where moms and kids under six years old can stay together. Reporter Clare Wiley takes us inside.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The IRS may be today's headline example of an institution struggling to match resources to mission. But the challenge is hardly new. The federal government's obligations to Tribal nations date back to the country's founding, and a new Brookings report examines why the systems supporting those commitments continue to fall short. Here to share more details is Brookings Institution fellow, Rob Maxim.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Postal Service has traditionally served as neutral infrastructure during elections, moving ballots from voters to election officials. But changes in election law, postmark requirements and voter verification debates are placing new demands on the agency. Elena (ELL-eh-nah) Patel of the Brookings Institution joins me now to discuss what that shift could mean for the Postal Service and the election system.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Turkey stands on the threshold of closing a conflict spanning almost 50 years, after the Turkish parliament this week passed a law allowing exiled Kurdish militants to return home and rejoin society. The legislation aims to end the war with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has battled the Turkish state for independence since 1984. On Monday, legislators voted 468-88 in favour of a law detailing how the PKK will lay down arms, disband and guide most members back into civilian life. Many see this legislation as a turning point after decades of bloodshed. “This law in question is going to make a giant contribution,” predicts sociologist Mesut Yegen of the Diyarbakir-based Kurdish Studies Center. “If the PKK militants are convinced that they can be safe in Turkey, it's estimated that some 15,000 people in Europe, in Syria, in Iraq and in the prisons in Turkey are going to be either released or are going to be able to come back home.” The PKK leadership, based primarily in Iraq, is not covered by the legislation. Nor is the group's founder and leader Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned since 1999 in a Turkish jail. He initiated the peace process and last year called for the disarmament and dissolution of the PKK. Hope, caution Istanbul, now the city's with the world's largest Kurdish population, became a sanctuary in the 1990s as hundreds of thousands fled the violence raging in Turkey's southeast. At the conflict's peak, the Turkish army destroyed villages in relentless scorched-earth campaigns. In Istanbul's Bagcilar district, home to a vibrant Kurdish community, conversations reveal a fragile mix of hope and caution. “This law seems good for the honour of the Kurds and to stop bloodshed,” said 31-year-old Ahmet, who only wanted to be identified by his first name. “Mothers should not shed tears anymore.”  But others were more wary. “The state has been delaying our rights for decades; I do not believe this process will be different,” said Kava, who also preferred not to give his full name. “I do not trust an arrangement in which Kurds do not have legal status.”  Kurds make up around a fifth of Turkey's population, but are not legally recognised as a minority. Emotions appear equally divided among Turks. “If they're agreeing to live under the Turkish flag and love our country, that's fine – let them,” said 51-year-old Mehmet Tas. But 40-year-old Ertugral Zengin is unconvinced. “They committed a crime – and now they are to be pardoned? Do I want something like that? No, I won't accept it.” PKK ends 40-year fight but doubts remain about the next steps Political momentum The decades-long conflict has claimed 40,000 lives and forced more than 3 million people from their homes. While major political parties support the peace process, hardline nationalist groups remain staunchly opposed, insisting it rewards a PKK they see as already defeated. The process hinges on the laborious task of disarming the PKK and verifying its weapons are gone. Maintaining the current political momentum is vital, warns Asli Aydintasbas, a Turkey expert at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington DC. “If this drags on, political support for the legislation and for the return of former PKK members, seen by many Turks as terrorists, would become politically problematic for the government. Timing and moving fast is very important to achieve reconciliation,” she says. The government is expected to face growing pressure to address Kurdish rights, including Kurdish-language education in schools and local autonomy, along with broader democratic reforms. Social media buzzes with questions: how can PKK members walk free while critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remain behind bars? Peace or politics? Turkey's fragile path to ending a decades-long conflict Yegen warns that since the new legislation fails to address Kurdish rights and democratisation reforms, the government needs to move swiftly. “The fact that these two issues are not touched upon by the law has created many doubts on both Kurdish and Turkish sides about whether disarmament will be the government's only agenda,” he says. For Erdogan, steering the peace process to success could secure the vital Kurdish vote in the 2028 elections. Yet extending Kurdish cultural rights risks alienating Turkish nationalists, and relaxing pressure on the opposition brings its own perils as their electoral strength grows. For now, the negotiations present a rare window for reconciliation and lasting peace.

It feels like we're stuck in an endless debate about what AI is going to mean for jobs and the economy. The prediction you hear from the people closest to the technology — both its critics and its boosters — is that mass automation is coming, and with it mass unemployment. In response, some AI CEOs are promising a post-labor Golden Age of abundance and universal high income. But you also hear from some techno-optimists and economists that AI will create more jobs than it destroys and that society's fears are unjustified. When these arguments are traded back and forth, no one can know what's actually true, and nothing happens. And caught in the middle of this debate are actual workers trying to figure out what this means for their family and themselves, or whether their kids should go to college. And as long as that debate stays alive, nobody plans or takes action ahead of what's coming. So this week on Your Undivided Attention, rather than continuing to referee this debate, we follow the incentives and show you where they're actually taking us in the very near future. Our guest, economist Molly Kinder, argues that we're entering what she calls the “messy middle”: a period of concentrated and uneven workforce disruption. She has evidence-based arguments about where, specifically, AI will affect the labor force, what the second and third-order consequences of those effects might be, and what we need to do today to protect people's livelihoods. Molly recently left her position as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution to become the founding CEO of a new organization dedicated to addressing AI's impact on jobs. Her Substack, Kinder Futures: Dispatches on AI, Work & What Comes Next, features some of the clearest-eyed analysis of AI's impact on the economy.RECOMMENDED MEDIA Kinder Futures: Dispatches on AI, Work & What Comes Next (Molly's Substack) Molly's blog posts at Brookings The Yale Budget Lab's AI Labor Market Tracker RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES AI and the Future of Work: What You Need to Know Is AI Productivity Worth Our Humanity? with Prof. Michael Sandel AI and Jobs: How to Make AI Work With Us, Not Against Us with Daron Acemoglu   Corrections Molly incorrectly referred to cuts to “Medicare for the neediest populations.” The cuts she describes are to Medicaid. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A study shows that AI chatbots often engage in sycophantic behavior. Just like some humans. This hour, we take a look at sycophants in literature and in politics. And we talk about sycophancy and artificial intelligence. GUESTS: Mark Parker: Professor Emeritus of English at James Madison University and co-author of Sucking Up: A Brief Consideration of Sycophancy Virginia Heffernan: Writes a regular column for The New Republic and the Substack “Magic + Loss.” She is co-host of the podcast “Omnishambles” Malihe Alikhani: Assistant Professor at Northeastern University’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences, and a resident Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution with a focus on AI policy Music featured (in order): Overture to Rigoletto – Giuseppi Verdi, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmoniker I Believe in You – Peggy Lee Don’t Cry – Seal You Fascinate Me So – Mabel Mercer What You Want To Hear – Sub-Radio Flattery – Rosemary Clooney, Jose Ferrer The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on April 8, 2026.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson sits down with Thomas Wright to discuss his book "Inflection Point: Biden, Trump, and the Future World Order". // Guest bios: - Thomas Wright is a leading geopolitics analyst, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, nonresident fellow at the Lowy Institute, and a former National Security Council official // Host bio: Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. // Recommended Readings: "The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup" by Jonathan Wilson: https://www.amazon.ca/Power-Glory-History-World-Cup-ebook/dp/B0DVSNN6QL // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Judy Alomari // Recording Date: July 24, 2026 Release date: August 10, 2026

From March 28, 2025: For today's episode, Lawfare Foreign Policy Editor Daniel Byman interviewed Natan Sachs, the Director of the Middle East Program of the Brookings Institution, to discuss Israel's turbulent domestic situation and the renewal of the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Sachs explains Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political tactics, the controversies over the budget, judicial reform and the resulting protests, and the sacking of figures like Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. Sachs also discusses why Israel has decided to renew operations in Gaza and Lebanon and why strikes on Iran are more likely than in the past. To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The midterms are coming up this fall, and right now we are in the middle of a contentious primary season, with a lot of new faces challenging incumbents—and many winning. It's in this context that we revisit our debate from 2022: Are Primary Elections Ruining Democracy?  Arguing YES  Elaine Kamarck, Founding Director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution  Arguing NO  Jed Ober, Former Director of Programs at Democracy International and Former Chief of Staff for Pennsylvania Congresswoman Susan Wild  Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates Join the conversation on Substack—share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing debates.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to manage your finances before starting a business. Plus: what's next for the rapidly growing prediction markets. What should you have in place financially before leaving your job to start a business? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola bring on small business Nerd Rosalie Murphy to answer a question from listener Blake, who is 27 and on the verge of walking away from a steady paycheck to launch their own company. Together, they examine how much cash you really need before going months without income, what to do about existing high-interest debt before you launch, how to handle taxes when your employer is no longer withholding them for you, which retirement accounts could make sense when you're self-employed, and how separating your business and personal finances from day one could protect your personal assets if things go wrong. Then, what are prediction markets, and what happens when billions of dollars start trading on election outcomes? Senior news writer Anna Helhoski interviews Aaron Klein, a senior fellow at the Center on Regulation and Markets at the Brookings Institution, about the booming prediction market industry. They discuss how platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket differ from both stock trading and gambling, whether the legal distinction between a "swap" and a "wager" actually matters for everyday users, how these platforms are navigating state gambling laws, and what it could mean when millions of dollars are wagered on whether a political party wins control of Congress. Resources discussed in this episode: Best Business Checking Accounts of August 2026 Best Business Credit Cards of August 2026 How to Open a Business Bank Account How to Incorporate a Business How to Get Business Insurance: What You Need, Where to Buy It Subscribe to our podcast's free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/  Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header Smart Money's YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. *The show notes were created with the assistance of AI. They have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From February 26, 2025: On Feb. 24, Fiona Hill (Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe), Constanze Stelzenmüller, (Director at the Center on the United States and Europe; Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe; and Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Trans-Atlantic Relations), Anastasiia Lapatina (Ukraine Fellow, Lawfare), Tyler McBrien (Managing Editor, Lawfare), and Benjamin Wittes (Editor-in-Chief, Lawfare) recorded a live discussion at the Brookings Institution on "Trump's return and the fate of Ukraine" and Lawfare and Goat Rodeo's new narrative podcast series on the U.S. and Ukraine, Escalation. To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

07/30/26: Tony Pipa is a senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution. He launched and leads the Reimagining Rural Policy initiative and hosts the award-winning Reimagine Rural podcast. He's in town for TEDxFargo, and joins Joel Heitkamp in the studio to talk about rural America. Learn more about Tony and his work at Brookings,edu. (Joel Heitkamp is a talk show host on the Mighty 790 KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. His award-winning program, “News & Views,” can be heard weekdays from 8 – 11 a.m. Follow Joel on X/Twitter @JoelKFGO.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is brought to you by Vanguard University and the Global Center for Women and Justice, who offer an incredible anti-human trafficking certificate. Whether you're a frontline responder, a social worker, in the ministry, a healthcare provider, or simply a community member who wants to help, this program is built for you. Head over to gcwj.org/ahtc to take the next step and apply today. ---Dr. Xanthe Scharff joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to explore how displacement, missing documents, and unequal citizenship laws quietly raise the risk of trafficking, and why prevention starts long before a child is ever exploited.Chapters(00:00) - Introduction (00:55) - Xanthe's Path and the Freedom Fund's Frontline Model (06:08) - The Women's Refugee Commission: Listening to Women (10:19) - How Birth Certificates Prevent Trafficking in Bangladesh (13:17) - Citizenship, Statelessness, and Life in the Shadows (19:13) - Conflict, Trauma, and Women Rebuilding After Displacement (23:46) - Girls' Education and the Story of Anesi (28:14) - Prevention Over Rescue: What the Field Still Misunderstands About Dr. Xanthe ScharffDr. Xanthe Scharff is President and CEO of the Women's Refugee Commission, which she joined in June 2026 after more than two decades spanning humanitarian action, women's rights, journalism, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership. She previously served as Managing Director for External Affairs and Editor-at-Large at The Freedom Fund, a global collaborative working to end modern slavery, where she helped elevate the work of hundreds of frontline anti-slavery organizations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Earlier, she co-founded The Fuller Project, a global newsroom reporting on women, served as Associate Director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, and founded Advancing Girls' Education in Africa. She has raised more than $200 million for social-impact organizations and reported on Syrian refugees in Turkey, with earlier roles at CARE, Save the Children, the United Nations, and the World Bank.Key Points• The Freedom Fund gets money directly to the front lines, granting to almost 200 frontline organizations, and this past year 47% of them were led by survivors.• Birth certificates are a frontline prevention tool: in Bangladesh, mothers believed they couldn't register children without the father's signature, until Freedom Fund's partners socialized a legal provision and registered over 400 children in about six months.• Twenty-four countries still bar mothers from passing citizenship to their children on equal terms with fathers, and Syria's law can leave a returning mother's child stateless and more vulnerable to exploitation.• When people lack legal status, they have no one to report abuse to, and fear of deportation keeps exploited workers silent even when wages are stolen or they are assaulted.• Immigration and refugee are not synonyms; asylum seekers are specifically people seeking protection, a distinction that gets blurred as legal pathways narrow.• Before larger plans, women's groups like Women of the Sun in Gaza and the West Bank made addressing trauma and supporting one another their first priority.• A scholarship alone did not change Anesi's future; without cultural support structures, she left school for marriage after one year and later regretted it, showing that prevention takes more than money.• Xanthe urges the field to listen to survivors: "Alternative livelihood activities in our community is what's going to protect our children," and "we don't need to wait until the children have been trafficked to do an intervention."Resources• Women's Refugee Commission• At What Cost? Women-Led Organizations, Funding Cuts, and the Price of Survival (WRC & Refugees International report)• Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights• The Freedom Fund• Refugees International• The Fuller Project• AGE Africa (Advancing Girls' Education in Africa)

The US has long been the world's undisputed leader in AI. Now, that lead looks under threat. Cutting-edge Chinese models such as Kimi K3 are proving almost as capable as leading American models; meanwhile, companies in the US and Europe are turning to cheap, efficient Chinese software from companies including DeepSeek and Z.ai in an attempt to curb high usage costs. As China takes strides – and Beijing considers export controls on its AI models – Soumaya speaks to Kyle Chan, fellow at the Brookings Institution's John L Thornton China Center, to find out more.Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Further reading: Chinese AI start-up Moonshot launches model challenging Anthropic's leadCompanies turn to Chinese AI models to cut costsChina weighs tighter export controls on AI models and chipsPresented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music and sound design by Breen Turner. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. Flo Phillips is the FT's head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Renée Cummings channels the spirit of due process while envisioning a radically imaginative world in which the benefits of ethical AI innovation are available to all. Kimberly and Renée discuss her radical optimism; finding joy in justice; AI's criminal misadventures; bringing an ethical imagination to AI; creative innovation; our responsibility to the future; AI as a public health challenge; the social contract and duty of care; how governance, data, and trust intertwine; due process as core to intelligence; child protection and the AWARE (algorithmic awareness and responsible engagement) campaign; giving love a break; and why responsibility requires honesty.   Renée Cummings is a Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia School of Data Science as well as a Nonresident Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the AI Equity Lab at the Brookings Institution. Renee also serves as the Co-Chair of the Global Academic Network at the Centre for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP). Related Resources: Michigan Technology Journal: An Invitation to Partner (article) The A.W.A.R.E Initiative (Press Kit) Who is Raising Your Child? (A.W.A.R.E Initiative publication)  A transcript of this episode is here. 

Today's Mexican drug cartels haven't abandoned the old playbook of murder, corruption, and intimidation – but they've modernized it. Armed with drones, AI, sophisticated financial networks, and global criminal partnerships, they've transformed organized crime for the 21st century. Cartel expert Vanda Felbab-Brown joins Rep. Dan Crenshaw to explain how they evolved, why they're more powerful than ever, and what the United States must do to stop them.   Vanda Felbab-Brown is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, where she studies international organized crime, terrorism, and illicit economies. Find her on X at @VFelbabBrown and read her research here: https://www.brookings.edu/people/vanda-felbab-brown/

“We have a Justice Department which is now 100% the political pawn of the president,” warns Brookings senior fellow Jonathan Rauch. “He points, and they shoot.” Point and shoot. Like an old Kodak camera. Not exactly assuring words, you might think, from a man who begins our conversation looking back at the first six months of 2026 by announcing that he's significantly less alarmed than he was a year ago. Yes, Rauch acknowledges, Trump's approval ratings have sunk, the courts have pushed back, Elon Musk's DOGE rampage has petered out. And yet the pointing and the shooting goes on. Rauch, who only months ago diagnosed eighteen “distinct and unmistakable signs” of an American fascism in a much touted Atlantic piece, now admits he may never crack the Trumpian code. Every time you nail it to the wall, he says, it morphs, creeps or sails away. Like an Iranian gunboat in Hormuz. Slippery stuff for the liberal Brookings analyst. Fascism one month, McKinley-style imperialism the next, then Gilded Age plutocracy — although without those ontologically undeniable Carnegie libraries. Meanwhile, America's 250th birthday party fizzled into what Rauch calls a “damp squib,” its reflecting pool turning an opaque green rather than a clarifying blue. A muddy madness in DC. Still, amidst all the opacity, Rauch remains a defiantly optimistic liberal. In contrast with yesterday's guest, the reality hallucinating Turi Munthe, Rauch believes not only that there is an ontological reality, but that it's good. Frank Fukuyama was right, Rauch insists. Liberalism is not only the only political system that creates wealth, produces knowledge and settles disputes, but also establishes an undeniable reality. Liberals just need to relearn how to clearly tell its story. Perhaps. Though storytelling is certainly simpler when nobody is waving a gun at you. Five Takeaways •       Less Alarmed, Still Scared. Rauch opens with the good news: he is significantly less alarmed than he was a year ago, when the administration was running rampage, putting agencies out of business and demanding Greenland. Approval ratings have dropped, so Trump has less political space; the courts have pushed back, so he has less judicial space; Stephen Miller has vanished from view. And then comes the caveat that gives the episode its title: the Justice Department is now 100% the political pawn of the president — he points, and they shoot — and Trump has shown that as his ratings fall, he becomes more willing, not less, to use those tools. •       I May Never Crack the Code. Only months ago, Rauch diagnosed eighteen distinct and unmistakable signs of a modern American reinvention of fascism in The Atlantic. He doesn't regret the essay — but he has gone back to being confused. The Trump phenomenon is slippery: every time you nail it to the wall, it morphs, creeps or slides away. Fascism one month, McKinley-style imperialism in Venezuela the next, an Iran war with no rationale at all. Trump is such an improviser, and so disorganized, that Rauch concedes there is an element of randomness he may never decode — though he accepts Andrew's suggestion that attention is now the coin of the political realm. •       Not the Gilded Age — No Carnegie Libraries. The new inequality, Rauch argues, is different in kind: a class of people almost superhuman in the wealth they control, and strangely narcissistic and nihilistic toward the broader society. The Gilded Age tycoons did some bad things, but they also built — Carnegie's libraries, Mellon's National Gallery, Rockefeller's University of Chicago, Stanford's university. This group builds rockets and sounds, in the case of Marc Andreessen, like a parody of an Ayn Rand novel — or, as Andrew corrects him, not a parody at all: they simply repeat what they've read. Even so, Rauch is not sorry to see politics reacting to a world where Musk can casually drop $300 million into a presidential race. •       The Gloves-Off Court and the Accelerating Presidency. The Supreme Court term brought the clearest statement yet of the conservative agenda: Humphrey's Executor overturned after eighty years, making it far easier for presidents to fire agency heads at will; what remained of the Voting Rights Act effectively gutted; birthright citizenship surviving by a shockingly narrow margin. The imperial presidency is not new, Rauch notes — what's new is the speed. A president can now simply refuse to run a congressionally mandated agency, and the Senate, forty quietly nixed nominations notwithstanding, remains lacking in spine. The Todd Blanche nomination, he says, is the next test of whether any line exists at all. •       Fukuyama Was Right — and Liberals Should Say So. Rauch sees a moral vacuum and, for the first time, a craving to fill it: the pope's AI encyclical, multi-faith clergy bearing witness in Minnesota, the Episcopalians and Latter-day Saints finding their voices. His prescription for the second half of 2026 is a liberal one, in the nineteenth-century sense — science, markets, constitutions, rule of law. Fukuyama, widely misunderstood, was right: there is only one system that produces knowledge, peace, freedom, and wealth on a global scale, and it's ours. It needs fixing — he cheers the bipartisan housing bill Trump refused to sign — but liberals must relearn how to tell that story, and how to brag. About the Guest Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of nine books, including The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth (2021), Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy (Yale, 2025), and Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought. A recipient of the National Magazine Award, he serves on the boards of Heterodox Academy and Civic Life, and is a longtime friend of the show. References: •       Rauch's Atlantic essay identifying eighteen “distinct and unmistakable signs” of a modern American reinvention of fascism — the piece he stands by, even as he admits the phenomenon keeps morphing. •       His recent essays for The UnPopulist on why liberal societies need grand stories about themselves, and why liberals must relearn how to brag about liberalism. •       Jonathan Rauch and Peter Wehner in The New York Times — the earlier argument, which Rauch says still holds, that the Republican Party is more dangerous to the constitution and the rule of law than the Democratic Party. •       Tim O'Reilly in The Economist — on Elon Musk building a form of capitalism that Adam Smith would hate. •       Francis Fukuyama — whose widely misunderstood The End of History thesis Rauch defends: there is only one system that creates wealth, produces knowledge, and settles political disputes on a global scal...

Nearly a month after a ceasefire, the US-Iran deal seems to have all but collapsed as both nations have slipped back into active conflict. On Sunday, Tehran announced that the Strait of Hormuz is once again closed—a move President Trump immediately countered, stating the waterway will remain open "with or without Iran." Since then, both the US and Iran have reportedly begun new attacks, and the President said the US will reinstate its blockade to become the "guardian" of the strait, even floating a controversial plan to charge commercial ships to ensure their safe passage.  We are in a critical window where both sides are aggressively trying to redefine their leverage in the Persian Gulf region, yet neither has fully abandoned the negotiating table. The U.S. can't maintain its high-stakes engagement indefinitely.  So are we right back to square one? Is this perpetual state of uncertainty the new normal for the Strait of Hormuz? What realistic leverage does Washington still possess on the nuclear front? And with senior Houthi leaders announcing their involvement, how does the collapse of this deal reverberate throughout the Persian Gulf region?  Today on the show, Jason Bordoff discusses the current and unpredictable state of affairs in the strait, and how it could play out in the coming weeks and months, with Suzanne Maloney, the vice president and director of the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution. Suzanne's research focuses on Iran and Persian Gulf energy. She has advised Democratic and Republican administrations on Iran policy, including as an external advisor to senior State Department officials during the Obama administration and as a member of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Policy Planning staff during the administration of George W. Bush. Earlier in her career, she served as Middle East advisor for ExxonMobil Corporation. Credits: Hosted by Jason Bordoff and Bill Loveless. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Gregory Vilfranc.  

From April 10, 2025: On today's episode, Executive Editor Natalie Orpett spoke with Tara Varma, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, about the latest in French politics. On March 31, far-right leader Marine Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement and banned from politics, though polling showed her in the lead for the 2027 presidential elections. In the last few weeks, current French president Emmanuel Macron has been carving out a place for French leadership amidst the upheaval in Europe's relationship with the United States. Meanwhile, the push to build European defense capacity—and Trump's new tariffs—are raising a lot of complicated questions.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After signing a Memorandum of Understanding in June, the U.S. and Iran entered a delicate peace. As negotiators worked toward a permanent deal, one question loomed: Who won the war in Iran — Tehran or Trump? Hours after we concluded a debate on that very question, strikes resumed. By morning, President Trump declared the truce over. Today, we bring you that debate, and the question of who holds the upper hand, and what has been gained and lost, is more pressing than ever.  Note: This debate was recorded on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, before the verbal dissolution of the Islamabad Memorandum and the resumption of military action in the Iran War.  Arguing "Tehran is Winning": Suzanne Maloney, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution  Arguing "Trump is Winning": Matthew Kroenig, Vice President for Geostrategy and Fellows and Senior Director of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security  Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates  Join the conversation on Substack—share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing debates.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode unpacks the history of 250 years of U.S. foreign policy and examines patterns of the United States' engagement with the world.   Host: James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Robert Kagan, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Author, Dangerous Nation: America's Place in the World From Its Earliest Days to the Dawn of the Twentieth Century and The Ghost at the Feast: America and Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941   We Discuss: Why Robert Kagan argues that Americans misunderstand their own history and have long been a “dangerous nation” rather than an insular one. How American foreign policy debates have always been entangled with domestic politics, and what the polarized fights of the founding era reveal about the true norm of American political life. Which forces have consistently pulled the United States outward, producing an oscillation between intervention and retrenchment. Why the era of American imperialism following the Spanish-American War, including the humanitarian motives behind U.S. intervention in Cuba, is among the most misunderstood chapters of U.S. history Why Americans tend to enter wars with enthusiasm only to sour on them afterward. Whether the United States is forgetting the lessons of the postwar order. What the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence should teach Americans about the fragility of liberal democracy.   Mentioned on the Episode:   Robert Kagan, Dangerous Nation: America's Place in the World From Its Earliest Days to the Dawn of the Twentieth Century, Knopf   Robert Kagan, The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900–1941, Knopf   Robert Kagan, The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World, Knopf   Walter Lippmann, U.S. Foreign Policy: Shield of the Republic, Little, Brown   Norman Angell, The Great Illusion, G.P. Putnam's Sons   Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man, Free Press   James A. Field Jr., “American Imperialism: The Worst Chapter in Almost Any Book,” American Historical Review   “Declaration of Independence,” National Archives   George Washington, “Farewell Address,” 1796   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President's Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/lessons-from-250-years-of-us-foreign-policy   Opinions expressed on The President's Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

From June 4, 2016: This week, the Brookings Institution held an event on a new Brookings report on implementation of the Iran Deal: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) adopted by Iran and the P5+1 partners in July 2015 was an effort not only to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but also to avert a nuclear arms competition in the Middle East. But uncertainties surrounding the future of the Iran nuclear deal, including the question of what Iran will do when key JCPOA restrictions on its nuclear program expire after 15 years, could provide incentives for some of its neighbors to keep their nuclear options open.In their Brookings Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Series monograph, “The Iran Nuclear Deal: Prelude to Proliferation in the Middle East?,” Robert Einhorn and Richard Nephew assess the current status of the JCPOA and explore the likelihood that, in the wake of the agreement, regional countries will pursue their own nuclear weapons programs or at least latent nuclear weapons capabilities. Drawing on interviews with senior government officials and non-government experts from the region, they focus in depth on the possible motivations and capabilities of Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates for pursuing nuclear weapons. The monograph also offers recommendations for policies to reinforce the JCPOA and reduce the likelihood that countries of the region will seek nuclear weapons.On May 31, the Brookings Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative hosted a panel to discuss the impact of the JCPOA on prospects for nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. Brookings Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Foreign Policy Suzanne Maloney served as moderator. Panelists included H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba, ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States; Derek Chollet, counselor and senior advisor for security and defense policy at the German Marshall Fund; Brookings Senior Fellow Robert Einhorn; and Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Richard Nephew.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From February 21, 2025: Before January, most Americans had probably never heard of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS), a Treasury Department agency that distributes payments from the federal government. But over the last month, this corner of government has appeared again and again in the headlines, as aides working with Elon Musk's quasi-governmental DOGE initiative successfully gained access to BFS's payment systems. After a flurry of litigation, a temporary restraining order now bars these aides from accessing data—but the crisis is not over. It's still not clear precisely what happened within BFS or what access political actors within the administration might gain in the future, and DOGE continues to access similarly sensitive systems in other agencies, such as the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.To understand what's happening, Senior Editor Quinta Jurecic spoke with Wendy Edelberg, director of the Hamilton Project and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Jacob Leibenluft, who served in the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget under the Biden administration. Why is it so alarming to have political appointees accessing BFS systems? What does this tell us about the administration's political goals? And what manner of crises could result from this kind of meddling? To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution halting U.S. military action against Iran. In this excerpt from the Insider podcast, Ben Wittes joins Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance to discuss its legal and political significance. Wittes is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Lawfare and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. In the full episode, they cover:  – A reported plea deal between the Justice Department and President Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton; – Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence; and – Trump's appointment of Todd Blanche as Attorney General. To support the show and gain access to full Insider episodes, become a member at cafe.com/insider or staytuned.substack.com/subscribe.  CAFE Insiders click HERE to listen to the full analysis.  Subscribe to our YouTube channel. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network.  Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices