Baker Briefing

What is Christian nationalism, and why is it having a moment in U.S. politics? And what does it mean for democracy in our increasingly diverse and pluralistic society?   The ideology’s influence hasn’t faded with the dawn of the second Donald Trump administration, and it’s worth returning to this episode, originally released in October 2024, in which our Religion and Public Policy Program experts...

John Diamond , director of our Center for Tax and Budget Policy and host of “The Two-Handed Economist,” analyzed the macroeconomic impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — the sprawling tax-and-spending package now signed into law by President Donald Trump — using the Diamond-Zodrow model of the U.S. economy. The results? The package could modestly boost GDP — but the long-term benefits are lim...

The Middle East has undergone major shifts over the past 18 months, not least the Israel-Iran war that lasted for 12 days earlier this month and saw Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. A conversation with former diplomats Daniel Kurtzer and Aaron David Miller this past May illustrates the political dynamics shaping the future of power in the region, Israel’s war in Gaza, and th...

The U.S. is currently hosting the FIFA Men’s Club World Cup, an international competition between soccer club teams and the prelude to the larger and more widely anticipated FIFA Men’s World Cup hosted next summer across 16 North American cities. (The latter tournament is played between countries, instead of clubs.)   Fellow Kristian Coates Ulrichsen explains why these competitions and other globa...

This is the second episode in a two-part conversation on the challenges facing Mexico domestically and in its relationship with the United States.   Tony Payan , director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico, joins “Baker Briefing” to examine the host of issues facing the U.S.-Mexico relationship under Presidents Donald Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum. His conversation with David Satterfield covers t...

This is the first episode in a two-part conversation on the challenges facing Mexico domestically and in its relationship with the United States.   Mexico held its first judicial elections on June 1, following last year’s sweeping overhaul of the judiciary. Center for the U.S. and Mexico director Tony Payan joins “Baker Briefing” to discuss the implications of the reforms and other domestic challe...

Introducing “ Texas Briefing ,” a new podcast that brings expert insights into the challenges shaping life in the Lone Star State. Institute scholars and their guests will untangle issues in health, the economy, climate resilience, and more to understand how policy matters are impacting communities, from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast.   In our first series, senior health policy fellow Elena Mark...

Drs. Sandra McKay and Eric Fleegler, both experts in the Baker Institute Firearm Injury Prevention and Safety Program , joined “Baker Briefing” to discuss the worsening gun injury epidemic ahead of our fourth annual firearm injury prevention conference on June 6.    They discussed areas of consensus among firearm-owners and non-owners alike, including child access prevention laws and age purchasin...

In its first months, the second Trump administration has upended the alliances, institutions, and norms that have anchored U.S. foreign policy for decades — hiking tariffs on virtually all countries, downplaying U.S. military commitments, and all but dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. Meanwhile, as the U.S. steps back from a world order that’s largely of its own making, Chi...

Syria’s 13-year civil war came to a stunning end on Dec. 8, 2024, when rebel fighters led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham succeeded in toppling the brutal dictatorship of Bashar Assad. With the country now deeply fragmented and impoverished, what will the future of governance be under the transitional government of Ahmad al-Sharaa?   Rana B. Khoury , an assistant professor of political...

Federal hospital price transparency rules went into effect in 2021. Four years later, hospitals across the country — including the four largest hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, as assessed in a new Baker Institute brief — still aren’t complying. On this episode of “Baker Briefing,” Vivian Ho explains why opacity in pricing is a key driver of rising health care costs and what policymakers can...

We’re in a new era of discovery in the history of artificial intelligence, but rapid advances in the technology are also bringing major risks. Moshe Vardi , a leading expert in computational engineering and Baker Institute fellow, joins the podcast to discuss the ethical and strategic choices on AI facing the U.S. amid its competition with China and the unintended consequences of outsourcing our t...

With its aggressive mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration is attempting to reshape long-standing U.S. immigration policy — and increasingly defying constitutional guardrails in the process.   On this episode, experts examine the legal and social implications of the administration’s unconventional targeting of legal permanent and temporary residents, asylum seekers, and even foreign s...

Introducing “ The Two-Handed Economist ” — a new podcast with timely analysis of economic policy developments from John Diamond , director of the Center for Tax and Budget Policy . Why a two-handed economist? President Harry Truman famously asked for a one-handed economist, tired of hearing, “On the one hand, this,” and “On the other hand, that.” On “The Two-Handed Economist,” we embrace the compl...

April 15 marked the second anniversary of the ongoing civil war in Sudan, a conflict that has resulted in 150,000 people killed, over 10 million displaced, and an estimated 25 million at risk of starvation. Sudan has seen civil war before in its tumultuous postcolonial history — but this conflict is different. Susan Stigant, former director of the Africa Program at the U.S. Institute for Peace, an...

The Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and aid budget cuts in the U.K., France, and other Western countries present a stark turning point for the international humanitarian aid system.   Sonali Korde , the Baker Institute’s MD Anderson Visiting Fellow and the former assistant to the administrator of the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance at...

Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning it was stopped from spreading freely. But that’s no longer the case. By April 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported  more than 480 cases nationwide and one death in 2025.   Meanwhile, social media and podcasting platforms are rife with misinformation about the severity of the virus and the development, efficacy,...

Debates around gain-of-function research, which genetically alters an organism to give it new functions, became highly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, when public figures began to speculate that the virus responsible was created through gain-of-function experiments in Wuhan, China.   But many scientists maintain that this kind of research helps us to understand and respond to emerging viral...

Like other urban districts around the country, Houston Independent School District (HISD) has seen enrollment drop significantly over the past decade. But while the district’s schools are under capacity overall, with an average campus utilization rate of 77%, some of its campuses are meanwhile facing a paradoxical challenge: overcrowding.   Bill King , co-author of a recent Center for Tax and Budg...

The climate crisis is driving more and more people around the world to leave their homes and communities, often permanently. This isn’t an issue for the distant future: 26.4 million displacements related to natural disasters and slow-onset events like drought and sea-level rise were recorded around the world in 2023 alone. Julia Blocher , a project lead at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact...

School voucher programs — also known as education savings accounts or school choice — allow families to use public funds to pay for private school tuition. They have swept across the U.S. over the past decade, and now the Texas Legislature looks poised to enact a school voucher program of its own.  In this episode of “Baker Briefing,” Ed Emmett sits down with Christopher Kulesza , a scholar in chi...

Can art be a tool for diplomacy? How can cultural exchange shape foreign policy? In this episode of “Baker Briefing,” William Luers joins David M. Satterfield to discuss the intersections of art, diplomacy, and international relations. Drawing from his time as a U.S. diplomat in Europe and Latin America and as president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Luers explores how cultural engagement has...

Houston’s Third Ward is one of the city’s most historic Black neighborhoods. It’s also the site of longstanding and consequential debates about gentrification and redevelopment. Urban revitalization is meant to spur economic growth and benefit inner-city communities like the Third Ward — but do the changes actually benefit existing small business owners? Economist  Alisha Small joined David Satter...

Donald Trump entered office promising to be the “America First” president. But what does that mean for U.S. foreign policy? And what challenges and opportunities will Trump and Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, face regarding the Middle East, Ukraine, and the nation’s global alliances? In this episode of “Baker Briefing,”  David Satterfield sits down with  Elliott Abrams , senior fellow for Mid...

Since entering office for the second time, President Donald Trump has made clear his intention to impose tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China. What do his tariff plans mean for American industries and consumers — and for our relationships with our largest trading partners?   Baker Institute experts John W. Diamond , Ken Medlock , Tony Payan, and Steven W. Lewis joined the “Bake...