The Brookings Cafeteria

Global leaders are gathering in Glasgow in the coming weeks as the United Kingdom hosts the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, known as COP26. As global temperatures continue to rise, the calls for action on addressing the climate change threat rise as well. On this episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, a leading expert on global climate policy and financing for climate action, Amar Bhattacharya, senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings, shares his perspective on what will make COP26 successful, what sustainable and inclusive approaches to climate mitigation look like, and what gives him hope for the future. Also on this episode, John McArthur, senior fellow and director of the Center for Sustainable Development, reflects on the Center’s first anniversary, noting significant accomplishments of Center scholars and looking ahead to projects to come, including the “17 Rooms” podcast. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Go

Millions of American taxpayers itemize their deductions, one of which is for state and local taxes, or the SALT deduction. Most of these filers are at the upper end of the income distribution and live in high-income urban areas. On this episode, Senior Fellow Richard Reeves, director of the Future of the Middle Class Initiative at Brookings, says the SALT deduction mostly benefits the wealthiest taxpayers, gives little or no benefit to the middle class, and should be eliminated entirely. He also talks about the unusual politics of the debate in Washington, where Democratic leaders are calling for repeal of the SALT deduction CAP put in place in the 2017 tax law, championed by congressional Republicans. Also on this episode, David Wessel, senior fellow and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings, explains why inflation is back, why it's different this time, and what the Federal Reserve can do about it. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google

This episode features an interview with an expert who calls immigration and the Latino vote a golden opportunity for Democrats in 2022. Gabriel Sanchez is a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and a professor of political science at the University of New Mexico. In the interview, he discusses a range of policy issues including why COVID-19 has had such a devastating impact on Latino families, why vaccination rates are so high in Native American communities, and why immigration policy remains so important headed into the midterm elections. Sanchez is also Founding Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Endowed Chair in Health Policy and director of the Center for Social Policy at the University of New Mexico. Also on this episode, Hanna Love, a research associate with the Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking in the Brookings Metropolitan Policy program, discusses three trends shaping the future of rural America that she says the dominant narratives aren't very good at capturing. Show no

David Wessel, a senior fellow and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings, is author of the new book “Only the Rich Can Play: How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age,” published by Public Affairs, which tells the story of how a Silicon Valley entrepreneur developed an idea intended to help poor people that will save rich people money on their taxes. Wessel relates in his book how the tax break, passed into law in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, led to the creation of over eight thousand tax havens across the U.S. called Opportunity Zones. This episode of the Brookings Cafeteria presents part of a recent Brookings live event during which Wessel and other experts discussed the book and the Opportunity Zone experience on the ground. Here, Wessel is interviewed by New York Times White House correspondent Jim Tankersley about “Only the Rich Can Play.” Listen and watch the entire event on , or also subscribe to the . Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts o

America’s white population is declining and aging, while the share of Latinos or Hispanics, Asians, and people who identify as two are more races is increasing. These are some of the findings in new analysis from Brookings Senior Fellow Bill Frey, who joins the Brookings Cafeteria to talk about America’s changing demographics and the implications. Also on this episode, Tony Pipa, a senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development, highlights the work of local elected leaders and private sector leaders in the U.S. who are prioritizing action on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .

For over 70 years, Jordan has been an important ally in the Middle East for the United States, a connection built largely on the relationships between two Jordanian monarchs of the Hashemite family—King Hussein and King Abdullah—and American presidents from Eisenhower to Biden. In his new book published by the Brookings Institution Press, “Jordan and America: An Enduring Friendship,” Brookings Senior Fellow Bruce Riedel tells the story of this critical relationship. On this episode, Riedel is interviewed by Brookings Press Director Bill Finan about the book, one in a series Riedel has authored about important people and events in the Middle East. Also on this episode, Joseph Kane, a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, explains how, with a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill pending in Congress, regional leaders and institutions can prepare future infrastructure workers now. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to

Oceans are at the center of global competition, climate, and trade. In his new book, “To Rule the Waves: How Control of the World’s Oceans Shapes the fate of the Superpowers,” published by Scribner, Brookings Senior Fellow Bruce Jones takes readers on a fascinating voyage through this water world via the great ports, ships, geographies, and history of our ocean planet. And on this episode of the Brookings Cafeteria, Jones shares some highlights from the book, including his visits to one of the largest cargo ships in the world and a naval base in Norway over a hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle. Also on this episode, Senior Fellow David Wessel explains one unnoticed provision of the 2017 Trump tax bill, the Opportunity Zone, which was intended to encourage development in poor neighborhoods around the country but instead unleashed a tax break gold rush for economic and political elites. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email t

Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, six Brookings scholars reflect on their personal experiences of that terrible day, and offer expert insights into how 9/11 changed policy and what the anniversary suggests for policy moving forward. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .

As students return to schools across the country, this episode of the Brookings Cafeteria features a rebroadcast of a recent online event from the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings on the present and future of early childhood education in the U.S. in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brookings scholar Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center, moderated a panel discussion with Miriam Calderon, deputy assistant secretary for policy and early learning at the U.S. Department of Education; Jenna Conway, the deputy superintendent of early childhood education in the Virginia Department of Education, and Christina Weiland, associate professor in the School of Education at the University of Michigan. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .

Disparities between Black workers and white workers in employment and labor force participation existed long before the coronavirus pandemic, and the economic recovery following easing of COVID-19 restrictions has been felt unevenly, especially for Black teens. On this episode, expert Kristen Broady discusses her research on this problem and shares policy ideas for a more equitable economic recovery. Broady is a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings and a professor of financial economics, on leave, at Dillard University in New Orleans. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .

On this episode, in the wake of the Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan, a discussion of the forces and issues that have shaped Afghanistan over the last two decades and will continue to do so with Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy and the Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at Brookings,. Her insights on what has happened in Afghanistan help make sense of an incredibly complex situation and offer some ideas of what to expect moving forward. This conversation took place on Monday, August 16, just the day after Taliban forces entered Kabul. Also, Governance Studies Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds explains what’s happening in Congress in the context of the dramatic and dynamic situation in Afghanistan, including attention to an increased effort to resettle refugees from there. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .

On this 400th episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, Marcela Escobari, a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings, talks about her new report on how to tackle the worker mobility crisis in the U.S. economy. In the face of rising inequality, stagnating wages, a shrinking middle class, and now a global pandemic, many American workers are finding it difficult getting ahead. And today, millions of low-wage workers lack job security and benefits and face the threat of dislocation due to automation and other factors. Also, in a new Sustainable Development Spotlight, Senior Fellow George Ingram shares his insights on why we need better data quality reporting to track donor funding that advances gender equality. Too often, Ingram says, women and girls are left out of the development process, leading to inequitable societies and less productive economies. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us an

Millions of households have built financial security through pensions and retirement saving plans, but millions more remain unable to access these wealth accumulation vehicles. In a new book from the Brookings Institution Press, “Wealth After Work: Innovative Reforms to Expand Retirement Security,” editors William Gale, Mark Iwry, and David John present proposals that show how policymakers can help all Americans gain access to retirement saving accounts, obtain better information about their saving choices, and better manage their wealth in retirement.  On this episode of the Brookings Cafeteria, Brookings Press Director Bill Finan interviews Mark Iwry, a nonresident senior fellow in Economic Studies, and David John, deputy director of the Retirement Security Project at Brookings and a senior policy advisor with AARP’s Public Policy Institute, about the book. Also on this episode, Robert Maxim, a senior research associate in the Metropolitan Policy Program, offers a new Metro Lens segment on how federal inves

The COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 caused a tidal wave of displaced workers who applied for unemployment insurance, or UI. But states, hampered by limited staff and outdated systems, struggled to get relief to these workers quickly and to implement expanded UI programs under the CARES Act. On this episode, a discussion with Annelies Goger, co-author of a new report that focuses on a holistic redesign of the labor and education digital ecosystems to improve user experience and equity in access. Goger, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, is co-author with Janie McDermott of “Digital transformation in labor and education systems: Improving the government response to the next unemployment crisis.” Also on this episode, Senior Fellow Sarah Binder asks and answers four questions about the politics of the House Select Committee's investigation into the attacks on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify.

An interview with Brookings Senior Fellow John Hudak about his new paper, "Reversing the War on Drugs: A five-point plan," in which he lays out a series of policy actions the Biden administration could take short of full federal legalization to promote justice and equity and to help reverse some of what he calls the disastrous consequences of the War on Drugs. Also on this episode, Senior Fellow David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, explains how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in our financial markets--especially in the "shadow banking system," such as bond mutual funds. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .

Just days before tax fraud, larceny, and other charges against the Trump Organization and one of its top executives were filed in New York, Brookings published a report by four leading experts titled “New York State’s Trump Investigation: An analysis of the reported facts and applicable law.” On this episode, one of the report’s co-authors—Ambassador Norm Eisen, a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, discusses the report's findings. This conversation occurred after the initial charges were filed, but before any other legal developments occurred. Also on this episode, Tony Pipa, senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings, focuses on opportunities for development in rural America in the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .

China is no longer just a rising power; it is now a truly global actor, economically and militarily. In a new book from the Brookings Institution Press, a collection of experts provides a broad assessment of the implications of China’s role as a world power. The book, “Global China: Assessing China’s Growing Role in the World,” is edited by Tarun Chhabra, Rush Doshi, Ryan Hass, and Emilie Kimball. On this episode of the Brookings Cafeteria, Brookings Press Director Bill Finan interviews Hass and Kimball about the book. Also on this episode, Metropolitan Policy Program Fellow Joseph Parilla offers a metro lens on how the 1.9 trillion dollar American Rescue Plan provides significant and flexible funding to local and state governments to help catalyze economic recovery through small business relief, creation, and expansion. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria

Billions of dollars and other currencies are in tax havens outside the owner’s country of origin, allowing individuals and corporations to evade taxation by their home governments. Since many of these offshore accounts are secret, it’s difficult to trace what’s legal and what is not. In new research, Brookings expert Matthew Collin, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Global Economy and Development, examines a leaked dataset from a bank in the Isle of Man to find some interesting discoveries about who owns these accounts. In this conversation, Collin discusses his findings and some policy ideas to address the problem of dirty money.  Also on this episode, Governance Studies Senior Fellow Sarah Binder talks about what’s happening in Congress, with a look at five things you need to know about the road ahead for President Biden’s infrastructure plans in Congress. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  

Truth is contested ground. Facts are under attack. From disinformation to conspiracy theories, from social media pile-ons to campus intolerance, Americans are facing an epistemic crisis in their ability to distinguish fact from fiction and truth from falsehood. This episode features the author of a pathbreaking book on this crisis and how we get out of it. Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, is the author of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, just published by the Brookings Institution Press. Rauch is interviewed by Brookings Press Director Bill Finan. Also on this episode, Senior Fellow David Wessel asks six questions about how the U.S. economy and workers will look in a couple of years, after the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Show notes and transcript:   Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .

As the nation observes Juneteenth, we are still grappling with serious issues around civil rights, economic and political inequality, and unfairness in the criminal justice system. Now, a year after widespread protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a police officer once again brought these issues to the top of the national conversation, Makada Henry-Nickie, a fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and an expert on policies that advance inclusive economic opportunities for disadvantaged families and low-income communities, joins the podcast. In the discussion, she talks about where we've made progress on these issues, but also how much remains to be done. Also on this episode, in a new Sustainable Development Spotlight, Homi Kharas and Amar Bhattacharya from Global Economy and Development at Brookings share their thoughts on the needed reawakening of international cooperation to tackle development and sustainability challenges around the world, especially in emerging markets so badly hurt by