05/06/2023 - Debts Coming Due

An announcement from Mark and CarrieLearn more about and follow the Rhodes Center PodcastLearn more about the Watson Institute’s other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:2024 election update: Biden struggles to get his message to Americans, while Trump’s hush-money trial might be playing into his strengthsWhat to think of US presidential polling 6 months out from November’s electionSCOTUS term wraps upThe muddled political impact of campus protests over Israel’s invasion of GazaCan the dollar be too strong? Tariffs, foreign competition, reviving national industry – is it the 1930s or 1800s? The TikTok "ban” in Congress - national security priority, or tech extortion play?Mark and Carrie are very nice to dogsLearn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:What Truth Social going public means for Donald Trump’s financesHow Trump is navigating the complex politics of abortion within the Republican PartyLooking ahead to congressional special elections, and how they could affect Washington going into the 2024 electionCongress is back from recess…but will they do anything? Why Democrats’ much-hoped-for ‘Biden bump’ has yet to materializeInflation, wages, price-setting, and the pleasantly informative world of econo-Tik TokThe Israel-Hamas War six months in, and what’s next for Israel, Gaza, and the Biden AdministrationRussia blames Ukraine for a devastating attack in the suburbs of MoscowIs this the year women’s college basketball entered the mainstream?The Kate Middleton, AI, and epistemic nihilism Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:Democrats' and pundits' concern over the growing realization that President Biden is oldWhy, despite Biden’s weaknesses and the tough map for Democrats in 2024, control of Congress will likely still be up for grabs in NovemberThe Alabama Supreme Court rules that frozen embryos are people, and the Republican Party's toxic politics of reproductive rightsWhy Trump’s legal troubles might not be as financially damaging as they seem…The continued tragedy and impossible politics of the War in GazaSanctions, military expenditures, global isolationism, and the forces shaping the Ukraine War two years inThe UK’S dysfunctional economic agenda, part 78Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:Trump’s domination of the GOP primary, and what the MAGA-ficaiton of the GOP means for 2024The politics of Trump's legal troublesMaking sense of America’s “vibe-cession” and disinflationClaudine Gay’s resignation as Harvard’s president, and the Right’s strange relationship to the Ivy LeagueWhere does China’s economy go next?Unpacking the calls to ban Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) partyWhy is the UK trying to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda?The Super Bowl meets the Taylor Swift-Industrial ComplexLearn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:Trump potentially gets removed from the GOP primary ballot in Colorado, and the risks of involving the courts in a presidential electionHow the politics of immigration will affect the 2024 race in the USElise Stefanik grills University presidents on Capitol Hill, highlighting the thorny politics of Israel, Gaza, and free speech on college campusesThe political economy of Argentina’s new president Javier MileiThe Fed decides to hold interest rates steady, and the market reacts with…enthusiasmChina’s economic slowdown, and the limits of growth in authoritarian societiesWhere the Israeli-Gaza conflict goes from here, and how it might affect US politics going forwardGoogle’s loss in court to Epic Games, and American’s very mixed record regulating monopolies. Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:The state of the Israel-Hamas War, and its geopolitical and economic implicationsDiscouraging polls for Biden, promising victories of Democrats in November’s special elections – what does it mean for 2024? The new Speaker of the US House does the same thing his predecessor got kicked out for doingMark and Carrie push their Bible knowledge to the limitXi warms up to the United States…a littleDon’t worry about the UK – David Cameron is back! David Beckham – more interesting than his looks would suggest?Mark doesn't think much about the Roman Empire Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:Grading Mark and Carrie’s Supreme Court predictionsA disturbingly warm summer for all, and the financial repercussions of it being too hot to go outside. Gender equality, austerity, and the financial time-bombs in English municipalitiesThe Trump trial/campaign continuumLife under a gerontocracyTesting the West’s stamina for the War in UkraineUnpacking the ‘immaculate disinflation’Google v US, and the “franchise-ization” of the American EconomyTogether, Mark and Carrie ‘Barbenheimered’ Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:The US debt ceiling deal: nobody won, and it was all based on a deep ignorance of how the economy actually worksDeSantis goes peak geek and launches his presidential candidacy with on a glitchy Twitter Spaces™ Will Trump’s future criminal charges help or hurt him at the polls?Predictions on the Supreme Court’s final cases of the term, including decisions on environmental protection, affirmative action, and student loansWhere does the US-China relationship go from here?Mark and Carrie wonder what AI is thinkingThe next demoralizing phase in the War in Ukraine. A surprise twist: good news! Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.On this episode:Biden, Trump, and the upcoming “remaquel” to the 2020 electionFox settles with Dominion, fires Tucker Carlson, and will be just fineThe debt ceiling crisis: America’s ‘Brexit’?Clarence Thomas is very corrupt, but will face no consequencesDiane Feinst—wait, have we talked about anyone under 80-years-old on this episode?!King Charles III is crowned, and no one seems to careMark and Carrie try to end on a positive note. They fail.Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts