Policy Currents

We discuss the challenge of estimating the fatality rate for the new coronavirus; how capping out-of-network payments to hospitals could save billions in U.S. health care costs, and RAND's largest-ever fundraising campaign. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss insights from RAND experts on the coronavirus; how drones are reshaping the cybersecurity landscape; protecting the power grid; the media’s role in Truth Decay; and why Brexit is still costing the UK. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss Russia’s subversive activities; how supportive housing can help keep people with mental illness out of jail; supervised drug consumption sites; what it might take to implement a peace deal in Afghanistan; and new ideas about artificial intelligence and national security. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss the military case for extending the U.S.-Russia New START agreement; the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan; a first look at new tobacco products; the “golden hour” of stability operations; and what determines the content we read and see online. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how policies that punish pregnant women for substance use fail to help mothers or their babies; how little has changed in Zimbabwe since Mugabe’s ouster; the U.S. response system for infectious diseases; the challenges facing civilians after deployment; supporting students with disabilities; and how to prevent escalation with Iran. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand...

We discuss insights from RAND on the State of the Union; how civic engagement might improve physical and mental health; ways the United States can help China fight the coronavirus outbreak; what provokes Putin; automating U.S. Army convoys; and how to sleep like your relationship depends on it. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss the promise of community schools; the costs of uncertainty after Brexit; comparing the coronavirus outbreak to SARS; the burden of health care payments on America’s low-income families; and how thinking machines will change warfare. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss Australia’s wildfires; how artificial intelligence could supercharge disinformation; why the fentanyl crisis requires innovative solutions; Iran’s regional influence; and Medicare’s overpayments to surgeons. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how Turkey's nationalist course affects U.S.-Turkish relations; helping America’s airports prepare for increasing demand; redesigning the U.S. education and employment system; how to deter attacks on the power grid; and why the opioid crisis should be considered an “ecosystem.” For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss insights from RAND experts on Iran, Iraq, and the death of Soleimani; plus new RAND research on Russia’s hostile measures and mental health units in jails. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss the killing of Iranian Major General Qassim Suleimani; what Kim Jong Un’s latest threat means; where to direct opioid settlement funds to save lives; Russia’s new hypersonic weapon; one RAND expert’s thoughts on improving education; and strategies to fend off the winter blues. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss RAND’s top research projects from the year: how “Medicare for All” might affect health care spending in the U.S.; the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life; encouraging more women to stay in the Coast Guard; transparency in health care prices; and ways the U.S. can exploit Russia’s weaknesses. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss new data on where and how Americans get their news; whether Iran’s domestic turmoil will affect its foreign policy; how Louisiana is reforming its education system; countering Russia in the “gray zone”; and one promising approach to improving maternal and child health in poor countries. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss steps the Trump administration can take to prevent an escalation of violence in Hong Kong; Russia’s limits in the Middle East; a new tool to reduce crime in Chicago; what to do about bias in algorithms; U.S. options to help the Iranian people; and factors associated with getting a medical marijuana card. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss what would happen if Americans could buy into Medicare at 50; tips to help voters assess climate change plans; the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs; whether Iraqi protests will affect Iranian influence; and Vietnam’s approach in the South China Sea. For more information on this week's episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss what’s being done to fight disinformation online; the unintended consequences of policies that punish pregnant women for drug use; the crucial intelligence-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan; the importance of public trust in artificial intelligence; helping victims after man-made disasters; and why it’s time to prepare for a future Alzheimer’s treatment. For more information on...

We discuss the pressing problem of veteran suicide; how increasing physical activity could boost the global economy; helping people return from prison; what happens when geopolitics and the Fortune 500 collide; and how artificial intelligence could optimize military deception. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss violent white supremacy in the United States one year after the Pittsburgh synagogue attack; the risks of shutting off the power to prevent wildfires in California; how to resolve the Hong Kong crisis; why Americans may not be too busy to exercise; what led Russia to intervene in Syria; and dealing with crime on the dark web. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/p...

We discuss the effects of the abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Syria; how drones could help get blood to soldiers who need it; insights on climate policy; a historical look at impeachment; how U.S. pressure on China can weaken North Korea; and an alternative to zero-tolerance discipline in schools. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how later school start times in California could deliver economic gains; Brexit news; why it’s time to stop saying “women experts"; and how streaming apps could encourage Americans to be more active. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss virtual societal warfare and how it may affect the future; why Iran's domestic debates should matter to the U.S.; federal policy options for supervised consumption sites; data on state gun laws; the effects of shared environmental resources on India-Pakistan relations; and how the U.S. could ‘overextend’ Russia. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss what the future holds for China; the importance of gender diversity in wargaming; how Army families address life’s challenges; al Shabaab in Somalia; and preparing for the future of fentanyl. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss the road to mental health recovery for veterans; the risks of Washington’s approach to China; how to lower U.S. prescription drug prices; sexual harassment in today’s workplace; why understanding “will to fight” is crucial; and how to support teaching as a profession. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss why U.S. workforce development needs an overhaul; whether “stand your ground” laws prevent or exacerbate violence; the potential benefits of a free trade agreement in the Levant; a proposed e-cigarette ban to address teen vaping; and whether and how nations use cyber operations to coerce others. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

We discuss how the Bahamas can recover from Hurricane Dorian; how the U.S. and the West should respond to hostile social manipulation; what al Qaeda looks like almost two decades after 9/11; an intelligence expert’s take on AI; and whether the decline of American influence abroad is irreversible. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .