Brookings Podcast Network celebrates International Podcast Day

Saturday, September 30 is International Podcast Day, an “international celebration of the power of podcasts!”

Brookings is proud to produce a number of podcast shows that offer listeners deep dives into the most important public policy challenges of our times, and also short analyses on actions by and events from the Trump administration, Congress, and others. Four shows are available under the auspices of the Brookings Podcast Network.

The Brookings Cafeteria, hosted by Fred Dews, features in-depth discussions with experts about their research, policy ideas, and solutions to national and global problems. The show was recognized as the Best News & Politics podcast by the Academy of Podcasters awards; and again honored in 2017 as Best Education podcast by the Academy. Recent episodes have included discussions about why more Americans aren’t working 10 years after the Great Recession; reforming the NSA after Snowden; the fiftieth anniversary of the 1967 War between Israel and Arab states; and a two-part series on the true costs of President Trump’s border wall.

Download episodes and subscribe here.

Intersections, hosted by Adrianna Pita, features two experts discussing one issue from different angles. It’s not a debate, but a vivid exchange of ideas about important public policy challenges at home and abroad. Some recent highlights include discussions of: who is getting left behind in broadband Internet access; the paradox of populism and professionalism in politics; and changing U.S. norms on torture. In July, Pita interviewed Bill Gale and Vanessa Williamson on why the failed Kansas tax experiment matters for tax reform, and how Americans feel about paying taxes.

We’ve also learned that the show is popular in Ireland! Download episodes and subscribe here.

We launched the 5 on 45 podcast just a couple of weeks after the inauguration of President Donald Trump with a look at the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as education secretary, and recently surpassed 100 episodes with an examination of the German national elections. The show’s title explains the format: a scholar talks for about five minutes about topics related to President Trump, his administration, Congress, or important events happening around the world. In September alone, 13 scholars covered NAFTA renegotiations, DACA, the debt ceiling, terrorism, Facebook’s offensive ad targeting, FBI’s surveillance of Paul Manafort, the Rohingya crisis, threats against North Korea, free speech on college campuses, tax cuts, Germany’s elections, and Congress’ next steps in the healthcare debate.

Download episodes and subscribe here.

Our public events comprise the fourth show in the Brookings Podcast Network family. Subscribers can access audio of all the hundreds of public events that Brookings puts on throughout the year. Our briefings and conferences cover the widest-possible array of public policy issues and often feature leading policy-makers and foreign officials. Earlier this month, for example, scholar Camille Busette, our new director of the Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative, moderated a fascinating discussion on race, class, and culture with author J.D. Vance and Harvard Professor William Julius Wilson. If you missed it in person, listen to it here:

Download episodes and subscribe here.

While not formally part of the Brookings Podcast Network, our friends over at Lawfare blog host a few popular and highly-informative shows as well. The Lawfare Podcast includes interviews with policymakers, scholars, journalists, and analysts, plus event discussions, on all manner of legal, national security, international affairs, and political issues. Here, for example, is Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes with a late-August update on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian involvement with the Trump campaign.

Lawfare also hosts:

• Rational Security, a weekly roundtable on news, ideas, foreign policy, and the law
• The Cyberlaw Podcast, hosted by a group Steptoe & Johnson lawyers with a focus on the latest in technology, security, privacy, and government.

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You can get all of the latest news and links to episodes from the Brookings Podcast Network by following @policypodcasts on Twitter.

The Brookings Podcast Network is grateful for the dedication and hard work of everyone on the team who make it all happen. These include interview show hosts Fred Dews and Adrianna Pita; primary audio producer Gaston Reboredo, and also audio editor Mark Hoelscher; Brennan Hoban who directs 5 on 45 and is a producer for the other shows (and her predecessor Vanessa Sauter, who recently joined the Lawfare team); Chris McKenna, who recently joined the team; Bill Finan, director of the Brookings Institution Press, who interviews the book authors; Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, and Rebecca Viser, who provide web and technical support; all of our great interns; all of our social media and promotions team and finally, our boss, David Nassar, for his enthusiastic support.

Up with podcasts!