Please Discuss ...

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  The shifting map of the 2026 midterm elections 06.10.2026 33min

  In the debut episode of Please Discuss, Brookings scholar E.J. Dionne moderates a conversation about how changes to voting could have consequences for the 2026 midterm election landscape. Brookings scholars Elaine Kamarck, Elena Patel, and Scott Anderson examine mid-decade redistricting battles, court rulings over mail-in ballots, and the legal challenges testing both election administrators and voters across the country. Show notes and transcript. Please Discuss ... is a production of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and learn more at  brookings.edu.
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  Announcing "Please Discuss …," conversations rooted in research and a search for what's true 01.10.2026 1min

  From the Brookings Podcast Network, Please Discuss ... is a new show that brings together the sharpest minds at Brookings and their guests to have discussions rooted in facts, research, and a search for what's true. On each episode, scholars unpack the defining issues of our time. Stay tuned in October for a three-part miniseries focused on the U.S. midterm elections. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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  Financing Africa's economic growth 17.04.2019 42min

  In this episode, Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly, senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, and Lemma Senbet, William E. Mayer chair professor of finance at the University of Maryland, explain why national debts in sub-Saharan Africa have risen in recent years, the challenges of sustainably financing economic development, and the role of multilateral development banks in solving Africa's massive infrastructure gap.  Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2UozLU9 Hosted by Adrianna Pita. This is the final episode of the Intersections podcast. Thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for all their support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  The roots of America's divided politics 03.04.2019 39min

  In this episode, Brookings Vice President Darrell West and Senior Fellow Camille Busette discuss themes from West's new book, "Divided Politics, Divided Nation: Hyperconflict in the Trump era," including the economic, geographic, racial, and technological factors that have exacerbated U.S. political polarization to its current breaking point, and what's needed to build a healthier democracy. West and Busette also speculated how these pressures may affect the 2020 presidential race. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2YNXP67  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  Russia's challenge to the West 20.03.2019 36min

  In this episode, Angela Stent and Keir Giles, authors of "Putin's World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest" and "Moscow Rules: What Drives Russia to Confront the West" examine the history of Russia's national identity and how the U.S. fundamentally misunderstands Russia's view of itself in conflict with the West. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2Jsi99B Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.  
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  Preventing violent extremism in fragile states 06.03.2019 41min

  The Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States recently released its recommendations, calling for a new strategy to prevent violent extremism from developing in fragile states. Brookings Senior Fellow George Ingram and President of the U.S. Institute of Peace Nancy Lindborg explain why the U.S. needs to change its priorities from defeating terrorists militarily and focus on addressing the economic, social, and political weaknesses in fragile states which lead to the rise of extremist groups. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2TgxOxk  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  Realizing the value of black neighborhoods 28.02.2019 33min

  In this episode, David M. Rubenstein Fellows Andre Perry and Jenny Schuetz examine past policies and current attitudes that have devalued homes and business in majority-black neighborhoods and the opportunities to be gained by building on the assets in majority-black places. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2IRBHnQ  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.
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  Advancing women's leadership around the world 26.12.2018 31min

  In this episode, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, founder of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership and distinguished fellow with the Center for Universal Education (CUE), and CUE Fellow Christina Kwauk discuss the current state of gender equality in leadership roles, the pipeline from quality education for girls to increased opportunities for women in leadership, and the expanding the evidence on what works to challenge gender stereotypes.  Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2EMcxDf  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Tim Madden for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  Priorities for climate change action after COP 24 12.12.2018 42min

  In this episode, Todd Stern, senior fellow and former special envoy for climate change in the Obama administration, and David Victor, co-chair of the Cross-Brookings Initiative on Energy and Climate, discuss the key issues at stake at the COP 24 negotiations in Poland, the absence of U.S. federal leadership on climate, and the state of U.S.-China cooperation on climate and energy priorities. Show notes: https://brook.gs/2Euizt5  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  Recommendations for US policy toward Gaza 28.11.2018 29min

  In between spikes of violence, the people of the Gaza Strip live in a state of perpetual crisis—a man-made humanitarian disaster of severe urban crowding, staggering unemployment, and a dire scarcity of basic services, including electricity, water, and sewage treatment. In this episode, CNAS Middle East Security Program Director Ilan Goldenberg, Brookings Center for Middle East Peace Director Natan Sachs, and Brookings Visiting Fellow Hady Amr lay out the recommendations of high-level task force for changing U.S. policy toward Gaza to help bring an end to Gaza's continued state of crisis. Show notes: https://brook.gs/2FJowUo  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and interns Churon Bernier and Tim Madden for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  The promise of community colleges as pathways to high-quality jobs 14.11.2018 44min

  Brookings Fellows Martha Ross and Elizabeth Mann Levesque discuss the important role that community colleges play in putting young adults on a pathway to higher-quality jobs and other strategies for improving economic outcomes for youth from lower-income and disadvantaged backgrounds. Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2Dm3AQn  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and interns Churon Bernier and Tim Madden for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.  
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  What's next for Israel and the Palestinians 25 years after Oslo? 24.10.2018 1t 2min

  In a conversation with Natan Sachs, fellow and director of the Center on Middle East Policy, Distinguished Fellow Salam Fayyad, former prime minister and finance minister of the Palestinian Authority, and Visiting Fellow Jeffrey Feltman, former U.N. under-secretary-general for political affairs, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and career foreign service officer throughout the Middle East and North Africa, reflect on their days working together in Israel and Palestine in the 1990s and early 2000s. In addition to looking back, Fayyad and Feltman examine the current political environments inside the US, Palestine, and Israel, and prospects for the future of peace. Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2AqiNOh  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  Why racial inequality and regional economic inequality can't be separated 10.10.2018 40min

  In this episode, Bradley Hardy, associate professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University and nonresident senior fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings, and Frederick Wherry, professor of sociology at Princeton University, explain how some economic policies have disproportionate impacts on black communities, and how that has to be understood to design better policies to combat regional economic inequality. Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2NzIqzH  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  How India and China are reshaping their neighborhood 26.09.2018 40min

  In this episode, Dhruva Jaishankar, fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings India, and Rush Doshi, post-doctoral fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, discuss the balance of power across the Indo-Pacific as China's influence grows and India seeks to increase economic connectivity and strengthen security relationships. Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2OVQP25  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  Americans stuck on the sidelines 12.09.2018 49min

  In this episode, Isabel Sawhill, Brookings senior fellow and author of  "The Forgotten Americans: An Economic Agenda for a Divided Nation," and Andrew Yarrow, senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute and author of "Man Out: Men on The Sidelines of American Life" look at two different groups of Americans forgotten by policymakers or sidelined from the U.S. economy and society.  Sawhill and Yarrow examine the repercussions of growing disenfranchisement and skepticism among significant segments of the voting public, and offer policies to meet the needs of the working class and reengage men who find themselves on the margins of society. Full show notes here: https://brook.gs/2NJgbms  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  Is anyone winning the US-China trade war? 29.08.2018 38min

  In this episode, Brookings experts David Dollar, senior fellow with the John L. Thornton China Center, and Joseph Parilla, fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, examine what effect the trade war has had on the U.S. and Chinese economies–and workers–so far. They explain why trade wars don't actually reduce the trade deficit, which other countries might benefit, and what the prospects are for resolution between the U.S. and China. Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2PgOE8N  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  How Africa's historic free trade agreement will change the continent 15.08.2018 32min

  In this episode, Nonresident Fellow Witney Schneidman and David M. Rubinstein Fellow Landry Signé discuss how Africa's Continental Free Trade Agreement will transform trade across the continent, accelerate industrialization and economic development, and what it means for future commercial relations with the U.S., EU, and other trading partners. Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2ODyaav  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  Trump and the crumbling of the US-led world order 01.08.2018 36min

  In this episode, Robert Kagan, author of the forthcoming "The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World," and Thomas Wright, author of "All Measure Short of War: The Contest for the 21st Century and the Future of American Power," discuss with guest host Will Moreland how the success of the post-World War II international order left it vulnerable to internal complacency and external pressure from authoritarian regimes. They explain how at the same time, Trump's longstanding disdain for global commitments finally found audience with an American public who have forgotten why the U.S. originally engaged in the system of international alliances and institutions designed to defuse the great power conflicts that led to two world wars.  Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2O3eIUe  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, and Fred Dews for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  What the Supreme Court's Janus decision means for unions and workers 18.07.2018 32min

  In this episode of Intersections, Vanessa Williamson and Elizabeth Mann Levesque review the Supreme Court's ruling on Janus v. AFSCME, which bars public-sector unions from collecting "fair share" or "agency" fees from non-union members to offset collective bargaining costs. Levesque and Williamson put the Janus case in the context of "right-to-work" legislation, the decline of private-sector unions, and the recent wave of teachers' strikes to assess how the decision will affect public-sector unions in the short term and future of unions' economic and political power more broadly.  Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2Jz61OQ  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, and Fred Dews for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.
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  How to make infrastructure work for people 27.06.2018 37min

  In this episode, Brookings Fellow Adie Tomer, CityLab's Tanvi Misra, and Route Fifty's Mitch Herckis revisit the themes of Infrastructure Week with an examination of historical patterns of urban and suburban planning that separated communities and discuss infrastructure as system for stitching communities together and creating access to opportunity.  Show notes: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/how-to-make-infrastructure-work-for-people  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, and Fred Dews for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network