Policy Currents

Where things stand for Russia; why India is flexing its diplomatic muscles in Southeast Asia; what to do about mass shooters who are looking for fame; and demystifying the security clearance process. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

The NATO summit and decisions to support Ukrainian reconstruction; why Russia has stumbled so significantly in Ukraine; how restricted access to reproductive health care could affect U.S. national security; why the “Barbie” movie was banned in Vietnam; and job-related stress among America’s school superintendents. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

What might happen if China attacked Taiwan; whether Wagner Group fighters will stay on after Prigozhin’s failed mutiny; and the benefits of providing legal counsel to defendants at bail hearings. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Checking in on America’s teachers; why Ukraine is a breeding ground for Russian private military companies; policy changes related to psychedelics; preparing for conspiracy theories about artificial intelligence; and what medical consensus says about health care for transgender veterans. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

What successful reconstruction in Ukraine would look like; increasing wildfires and what to do about them; the U.S.-China rivalry in a neomedieval world; the effects of telehealth expansion during the pandemic; and a model for regulating tech platforms. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Veterans don’t support extremism any more than the public does; why it’s time to manage traffic in outer space; twin personnel crises on the horizon for Russia; and America’s strategic advantage over China in Oceania. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Teachers’ views on carrying guns and on school safety overall; what F-16s will (and won’t) do for Ukraine; regulating commercial spaceflight; the future of Chinese psychological warfare; and the parallels between Putin and Brezhnev. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

RAND researchers Douglas Ligor and Shelly Culbertson discuss the expiration of Title 42, its short- and long-term effects, and the broader challenges facing U.S. immigration policy. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

RAND experts weigh in as the emergency phase of the pandemic ends; reducing labor trafficking in the United States; the history of great-power wars; and the effects of providing legal counsel at bail hearings. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Why the violence in Sudan is partly the international community’s fault; a promising alcohol abstinence program in South Dakota; what an economic “Joint Chiefs of Staff” might look like; how Kim Jong-un's fears shape North Korea's nuclear agenda; and why critical minerals are more critical than ever. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

What communities are doing to deliver environmental justice; how expiring pandemic-era policies could affect mental health care access; why America should stick with its European commitments; what China might do to demonstrate its rise in power; and the value of a good night’s sleep. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

How Truth Decay affects national security; America’s gun violence problem; why blockading Crimea may be Ukraine’s best option; improving educational outcomes for kids in foster care; and why the Army should be looking for slightly older recruits. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

How dementia in the national security workforce could create a security threat; Finland becomes the 31st NATO ally; learning loss associated with a four-day school week; this week’s U.S.-Taiwan news; and preventing shortfalls in critical materials. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Encouraging threat reporting to help keep schools safe; how national security organizations can benefit from a neurodivergent workforce; the implications of labeling drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations; what happens when struggling students repeat a grade; and the F.D.A. approval of over-the-counter Narcan sales. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

RAND experts reflect on the Iraq War; why China and Russia are getting closer; how the pandemic affected correctional education; understanding the Russian General Staff; tensions between the U.S. and North Korea; and how teachers feel about restrictions on classroom discussions about race and gender. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Finding new solutions to America’s illicit opioids problem; why Silicon Valley Bank went under so quickly; examining the collision between a Russian fighter jet and a U.S. drone; the risks posed by Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductor production; and a potential fatal flaw in Australia’s defense strategy. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Challenges to security cooperation between the United States and China and Russia; risks posed by artificial intelligence; support for social studies instruction and students’ civic development; consequences of the war in Ukraine; and South Dakota’s sobriety program. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

How Afghanistan became a “policy trap” for the United States; why the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, is a national security issue; which states have the highest rates of firearm deaths; the growing security risks of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence; and patient experiences in for-profit and nonprofit hospices. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podc...

One year ago, Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, setting off the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. Russia expert Dara Massicot joins us to discuss the ongoing war and what might happen next. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Insights from RAND on the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria; what the federal government could do to improve data collection on gun deaths and injuries; how to better support women in the military who’ve experienced sexual trauma; educator turnover since COVID-19 hit; and law enforcement’s use of facial recognition software. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podc...

Insights from RAND on the State of the Union; China’s surveillance balloon and the U.S. recovery mission; the benefits of mental health first aid training; and Japan's long-awaited return to geopolitics. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

What the U.S. military might learn from the war in Ukraine; how the United States and France could further cooperate in the Indo-Pacific; mitigating software supply chain risk; and U.S. policy toward Southeast Asia. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

How the United States can help avoid a drawn-out war in Ukraine; what the evidence says about the effects of gun laws; how teachers feel about limits on their instruction; why America’s policy of “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan may be doing more harm than good; and policies that could help address migrant surges. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Why we need governance in outer space; how the war in Ukraine could end sooner than expected; lessons from the FAA system failure; and why Twitter isn't a "digital town square." For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

What the evidence says about U.S. gun laws; containing the COVID-19 outbreak in China; whether or not Americans are growing tired of the war in Ukraine; sexual harassment and sexual assault in military settings; and what space might look like in 2050. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .