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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

Culture wars have distracted America's K-12 system at the expense of students, says former U.S. Ambassador and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. On this episode of The Current, Emanuel sits down with Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Po... more

Research shows that investing in programs and places for youth to participate in sports can reduce gun violence. But what can the people most directly affected do in the wake of tragedy? In this episode, part two of a conversation, Brookings Senior F... more

This episode of The Current features excerpts from a new Brookings podcast, The Beijing Brief, on which scholars from the China Center at Brookings discuss a range of issues in the U.S.-China relationship. On this episode, they focus on why the Trum... more

YouTube

Can investing in youth sports—especially in certain neighborhoods where children are particularly vulnerable—reduce gun violence? In this episode, Rashawn Ray, senior Brookings Governance Studies fellow, leads a conversation on the role that basketba... more

YouTube

Key Facts

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Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Rahm Emanuel
Ambassador to Japan, former Mayor of Chicago, former U.S. politician and policy maker
Former Mayor of Chicago; Ambassador to Japan
Episode: Rahm Emanuel: Both parties are failing American students
Taren Weaver-Smith
Mother of Darius Lee and founder of the D Lee 23 Foundation
D Lee 23 Foundation
Episode: Off the court: How one basketball star's death is saving lives
Ron Cottrell
Coach, advocate for youth basketball and safety programs
Play Smart Save Lives / Play Smart Toolkit
Episode: Off the court: How one basketball star's death is saving lives
Patty Kim
Colleague at Brookings; contributor to The Beijing Brief
Brookings Institution
Episode: What does China want from a Trump-Xi summit?
Kyle Chan
Colleague at Brookings; contributor to The Beijing Brief
Brookings Institution
Episode: What does China want from a Trump-Xi summit?
Hanna Love
Fellow in Brookings Metro focusing on place-based approaches to stem gun violence
Brookings Institution
Episode: Beyond the Bracket: How basketball can prevent gun violence
Howard Levy
Head men's basketball coach at Mercer Community College and founder of Play Smart
Play Smart
Episode: Beyond the Bracket: How basketball can prevent gun violence
Craig Robinson
Executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and former head coach
National Association of Basketball Coaches
Episode: Beyond the Bracket: How basketball can prevent gun violence
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

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 States6 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 States2 years 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
#57
South Korea/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#173
China/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#207
Taiwan/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#242
Poland/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#248
Indonesia/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Rahm Emanuel: Both parties are failing American students
Q: Could you say more about that?
Emanuel explains that both parties have too often treated education as a political battleground, overemphasizing testing and underfunding, but emphasizes a balanced approach that preserves accountability while using it to inform teaching, and highlights Chicago's reforms as proof that sustained, targeted investment yields real improvements.
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.

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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Which podcasts are similar to The Current?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Current:

1. The President’s Inbox
2. On the Record
3. Foreign Policy Live
4. The Foreign Affairs Interview
5. The AI Policy Podcast

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. Rahm Emanuel
2. Taren Weaver-Smith
3. Ron Cottrell
4. Patty Kim
5. Kyle Chan
6. Hanna Love
7. Howard Levy
8. Craig Robinson

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