Policy Currents

We discuss why fentanyl and other synthetic opioids represent a different kind of drug crisis; what can be done now to address mass shootings; how RAND analysts are inspiring young women who are interested in national security; whether NATO members would defend their Baltic allies; the next generation of Salafi-jihadis; and what we know about higher education in prison. For more information on thi...

We discuss how much Americans spend on illegal drugs; how a sleep researcher gets her kids ready to go back to school; the effects of U.S. tariffs on China; possible paths to Korean unification; and where educators go for support. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss Jeffrey Epstein’s death and how to prevent inmate suicides; India and Kashmir; the surge of synthetic opioids; Iran’s relationship with the Taliban; how to improve mental health care for veterans; and California’s effort to reduce surprise medical bills. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss what scientific evidence tells us about the effects of gun laws; how the United States can maintain its influence in the Pacific; what ISIS might do to raise funds for a comeback; the cannabis policy landscape in Washington state, and how prison education can help inmates make it on the outside. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how consumers respond to data breaches like the Capital One hack; how fentanyl is changing the U.S. drug policy landscape; emerging threats at correctional institutions; U.S.–China cooperation on global health; and the cyber showdown between the United States and Russia. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss the challenging moment facing Boris Johnson; helping teen girls get their start in national security; whether U.S. educators are prepared to work with diverse students; potential health problems for migrant children held at the U.S. southern border; a spike in arrest rates for America’s youth; and healing after school shootings. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.or...

We discuss why lower-income parents are less likely to involve their kids in sports; who is liable when autonomous vehicles are hacked; the challenge of North Korean denuclearization; one way to support children with mental health issues; and allegations of price gouging in the U.S. generic drug industry. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss media literacy education and the role it could play in combating Truth Decay; how investing in principals can help students succeed; what happens when parents help their unemployed adult children financially; how augmented reality could help kids get active; the U.S. economic plan for the Middle East; and avoiding summer learning loss. For more information on this week’s episode, visit...

We discuss completely eliminating traffic fatalities; America’s flawed decisionmaking on “wars of choice”; a promising mental health social marketing campaign in California; competing with Russia and China in the “gray zone”; the U.S. approach to Venezuela; and the problems with China’s “one country, two systems” policy. For more information on this week's episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss rising U.S.–Iran tensions; defending NATO in cyberspace; educators’ views on student discipline; the threat from North Korea; young adults who live near medical marijuana dispensaries; and the outlook for Russia’s military power. For more information on this week's episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss the recent protests in Hong Kong and what might happen next; what other states can learn from Louisiana’s education reforms; how autonomous vehicles could help in “transit deserts”; a U.S. Coast Guard policy change that could help improve gender diversity; and China’s stranglehold on critical raw materials. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss the link between teens’ lack of sleep and risky sexual behavior; a program that’s helping people experiencing chronic homelessness; the options for dealing with ISIS detainees in Syria; Modi’s reelection in India; the U.S. response to North Korea’s latest missile tests; and ethics in scientific research. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how Brexit led British Prime Minister Theresa May to resign; why “great-power competition” doesn’t describe the world today; reducing suicide among U.S. veterans; Iran’s nonstate partners; challenges in the Arctic for the Coast Guard; and social and emotional learning. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how the digital revolution has changed the presentation of news; Europe’s difficult position amid rising U.S.-Iranian tensions; the drug policy landscape in Asia; new rules for the internet; and Russia’s and China’s increased engagement in the Middle East. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how much private health plans pay hospitals compared with Medicare; potential solutions for the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border; reducing opioid overdose deaths; myths about the Sri Lanka bombings; how to fund the rebuilding of U.S. infrastructure; and the gap between America’s defense strategy and its military capacity. For more information on this week’s episode, visit r...

We discuss whether the Mueller report will lead to better behavior from Russia; young adults using cannabis and nicotine/tobacco products together; the emergence of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; surprise medical bills; what kind of Brexit the British people want; and a social worker turned RAND researcher. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss an in-school program that helps children cope with trauma; ways the U.S. can exploit Russia’s weaknesses; how women make the U.S. Coast Guard stronger; avoiding satellite collisions in space; human smuggling from Central America; and the strengthening ties between China and Russia. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss teachers’ and principals’ views on school reform; how economic sanctions are similar to carpet bombing; a holistic approach to the opioid crisis; deterring Russia in the Baltics; how much Medicare spending is devoted to primary care; and the U.S. designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.o...

We discuss how Medicare for All might affect national health care spending; what “principal pipelines” are and how they can improve student achievement; whether graphic warning labels can stop smokers from buying cigarettes; the latest challenges facing Syria; preventing suicides after a mass shooting; and lessons about the opioid crisis from Grey’s Anatomy . For more information on this week’s ep...

We discuss why effective teachers are even more valuable than you think; NATO’s enduring importance after seven decades; how to improve gender diversity in the Coast Guard; what happens when a food desert’s oasis dries up; and the characteristics of successful U.S. military interventions. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how to stop Russian social media influence; congestion pricing on Manhattan’s roads; whether terrorists might use cryptocurrencies; the best way for the Air Force to maintain its pilot roster; and the cost of making California hospitals more resistant to earthquakes. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss who should be held accountable for abusive online content in the wake of the New Zealand terrorist attack; how the UK can prepare for a no-deal Brexit; relations between China and Israel; the Trump administration’s rumored “Cost Plus 50” policy; and federal options for supervised drug consumption sites. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how the opioid crisis affects infants; U.S. policy in Afghanistan; artificial intelligence bias; whether teachers and principals agree on school leadership; and how jobs can help improve the lives of Syrian refugees and their host countries. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how speed is affecting society; a strategy to help reduce health care spending; what we know about U.S. gun policy; the debate over ISIS detainees returning home; and life as a U.S. Army private. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss rising arrest rates among young Americans; U.S.-North Korea relations; how cities can prepare for the impacts of climate change; political infighting in Iran; and the threat of hypersonic missiles. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .