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The Current brings you smart, timely, and quick analysis from Brookings experts on breaking news and changing policies. In under ten minutes, learn not only what happened, but why, and how to make sense of it.

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Artwork for The Current

Latest Episodes

Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Joe Parilla speaks with Alma Flores, executive director of the Latino Economic Development Center, and Peter Frosch, CEO of the GREATER MSP Partnership, about how their Minnesota-based organizations responded to the cris... more

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Two weeks into the United States' and Israel's war with Iran, there are increasingly urgent questions about Iran's future and the Trump administration's objectives. In this episode of The Current, Brookings Fellow Aslı Aydıntaşbaş is joined by Vice P... more

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This week, Brookings experts convened to discuss the Iran war and its implications for Iran, the Middle East, and international security. This episode of The Current offers highlights from that event, moderated by Michael O'Hanlon, and including pane... more

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In new research, scholars at the Center for Community Uplift at Brookings and Gallup find a high degree of interracial cooperation across key aspects of American life such as work, relationships, and family. In this episode of The Current, Brookings ... more

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Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Alma Flores
Executive Director of the Latino Economic Development Center
Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC)
Episode: How Minneapolis-Saint Paul community leaders responded to Operation Metro Surge
Peter Frosch
CEO of the GREATER MSP Partnership
GREATER MSP
Episode: How Minneapolis-Saint Paul community leaders responded to Operation Metro Surge
Suzanne Maloney
Vice President and Director of the Foreign Policy Program
Brookings Institution
Episode: Can Iran's regime survive the war?
Mara Karlin
Visiting Fellow at the Foreign Policy Program; former Assistant Secretary for Defense and Strategy and War Planning
Brookings Institution
Episode: Can Iran's regime survive the war?
Phil Gordon
Former National Security Advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris
Brookings Institution
Episode: What's next for the Iran war? Experts discuss.
Kari Heerman
Trade economist and director of the Trade and Economic Statecraft Initiative at Brookings.
Brookings
Episode: Did 'America First' tariffs work?
Dr. Rashawn Ray
Senior Fellow in Governance Studies and expert in community policing and criminal justice policy
Brookings
Episode: ICE: A predictable pattern of tragedy in Minneapolis
Mike O'Hanlon
Phil Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy at the Brookings Institution and author of 'To Dare Mighty Things, US Defense Strategy Since the Revolution'
Brookings Institution
Episode: The myth of American isolationism
Kara Swisher
Influential tech journalist and host
Episode: Do AI's risks outweigh the benefits for students and schools?

Host

The Current Host Lineup
Senior Brookings scholars and senior fellows who frequently host or participate in discussions across policy areas such as economics, foreign policy, defense, education, and governance.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 336 ratings
  • Remedial Listening

    The podcast has become remedial and is not what I expect when I look to Brookings. I like Brookings, but their podcasts are terrible. Maybe take a look at the CSIS model; it’s the best. I’ve unsubscribed to the Brookings podcasts one by one, and now I’m leaving The Current due to total lack of value. Brookings needs a new podcast team and accountability, if they actually intend to compete in this era and do their brand justice.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    RJG179
    United States5 months ago
  • Used to be Great

    The Brookings Podcasts used to have a lot of the content they did in their live forums. Now these tend to be infrequent and frankly a little bit inane. I loved what they used to do but now you have to go to their website and watch event videos for the insightful content.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Positive Sum Game
    United Statesa year ago
  • 11/1 Election 2024 the health of the democracy

    Good presentation on where the Current wants our Republic to head regarding our first amendment rights. As a counterpoint to the erroneous inference that Trump directed his DOJ to prosecute his political enemies Katy offered no case examples whereas Trump has clearly been harassed and prosecuted by Biden’s DOJ plus two of his well known supporters, Navarro and Bannon and been jailed for ‘crimes’ that Eric Holder committed but were ignored. It will be interesting to hear how far Katy goes to deny... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    333710
    United Statesa year ago
  • 9/27 making housing affordable

    The discussion makes it clear that the only path to affordable housing is federal government intervention in the market - the capitalist free market has failed. But the government experts must move slowly, cautiously, and incrementally with their socialist mandates so as to ease the tax paying funders into willful acquiescence.

    Great propaganda presentation.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    333710
    United Statesa year ago
  • 8/18/24

    Implicit in the discussion is that achieving net zero is a 1 to 1 trade off - not true

    - going green is government subsidized (tax payers bear the cost)

    - green energy is unreliable

    - green energy is proven unable to consistently provide base power

    (hence fossil fuel backup req’d = added consumer costs)

    - green energy components utilize irreplaceable natural resources

    - disposal of batteries is an environmental unresolved problem

    - green energy c... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    333710
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Positive feedback highlights the podcast as a reliable source for quick, expert insights on current events and policy challenges.
Listeners appreciate longer, in-depth panels and strong diction from the host but some critiques note a perceived partisan tilt or overly short segments.
Overall, the show provides concise, credible policy analysis and expert panels, though some listeners feel episodes can be infrequent or biased depending on topic or guest,

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#136
France/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#38
Hong Kong/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#76
South Korea/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#116
China/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#178
Indonesia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#202
Hong Kong/News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What's the state of our Union?
Q: What is the actual state of America's wallet?
Wendy explained that voters feel frustrated about the affordability of living despite some positive economic indicators.
What's the state of our Union?
Q: What is the actual state of our military and our security?
Melanie described the military as hardworking and composed of dedicated individuals facing new challenges, including staffing reductions and operational demands.
Did 'America First' tariffs work?
Q: How much of what's going on is a reaction to the rise of China?
China's economic model is genuinely distorting key markets, and the U.S. needs to adjust its trade policy to respond to that.
Did 'America First' tariffs work?
Q: Did economists misunderstand the tariffs?
While initially believed to potentially cause a recession, the past year presented steady growth. However, it's a combination of factors contributing to this stability.
ICE: A predictable pattern of tragedy in Minneapolis
Q: If these policies and these reforms aren't implemented or altered, what do you see happening in the next six months?
The next six months may reflect a continuation of aggressive tactics unless there are meaningful policy changes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Current

What is The Current about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program offers concise, expert-led analysis on current events, policy shifts, and global developments from a Brookings-centered perspective. Episodes cover topics like race relations, international security and diplomacy, the politics of AI in education, and U.S. foreign and defense policy, often featuring multiple Brookings scholars and policy practitioners. The format tends to be fast-paced, data-driven, and focused on practical implications for decision-makers, with guests who bring government, academic, and journalism perspectives. Noteworthy strengths include tight, well-structured takes from leading researchers and the ability to connect complex issues to real-world outcomes for businesses and policymakers. Potential listeners in... more

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These podcasts share a similar audience with The Current:

1. The Foreign Affairs Interview
2. Ones and Tooze
3. Radio Atlantic
4. The Political Scene | The New Yorker
5. The Ezra Klein Show

How many episodes of The Current are there?

The Current launched 9 years ago and published 466 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Current?

Recent guests on The Current include:

1. Alma Flores
2. Peter Frosch
3. Suzanne Maloney
4. Mara Karlin
5. Phil Gordon
6. Kari Heerman
7. Dr. Rashawn Ray
8. Mike O'Hanlon

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