The pressures shaping the 2026 midterms

In the second episode of Please Discuss, Brookings scholar E.J. Dionne moderates a conversation about how foreign policy crises and kitchen table pressures are shaping the 2026 midterm elections. Brookings vice presidents Suzanne Maloney, Ben Harris, and Marcela Escobari examine rising gas prices stemming from the conflict in Iran, strained household finances, and the economic fallout of aggressive immigration enforcement. Show notes and transcript. Please Discuss ... is a production of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and learn more at  brookings.edu.

In the debut episode of Please Discuss, Brookings scholar E.J. Dionne moderates a conversation about how changes to voting could have consequences for the 2026 midterm election landscape. Brookings scholars Elaine Kamarck, Elena Patel, and Scott Anderson examine mid-decade redistricting battles, court rulings over mail-in ballots, and the legal challenges testing both election administrators and voters across the country. Show notes and transcript. Please Discuss ... is a production of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and learn more at  brookings.edu.

From the Brookings Podcast Network, Please Discuss ... is a new show that brings together the sharpest minds at Brookings and their guests to have discussions rooted in facts, research, and a search for what's true. On each episode, scholars unpack the defining issues of our time. Stay tuned in October for a three-part miniseries focused on the U.S. midterm elections. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly, senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, and Lemma Senbet, William E. Mayer chair professor of finance at the University of Maryland, explain why national debts in sub-Saharan Africa have risen in recent years, the challenges of sustainably financing economic development, and the role of multilateral development banks in solving Africa's massive infrastructure gap.  Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2UozLU9 Hosted by Adrianna Pita. This is the final episode of the Intersections podcast. Thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for all their support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this episode, Brookings Vice President Darrell West and Senior Fellow Camille Busette discuss themes from West's new book, "Divided Politics, Divided Nation: Hyperconflict in the Trump era," including the economic, geographic, racial, and technological factors that have exacerbated U.S. political polarization to its current breaking point, and what's needed to build a healthier democracy. West and Busette also speculated how these pressures may affect the 2020 presidential race. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2YNXP67  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this episode, Angela Stent and Keir Giles, authors of "Putin's World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest" and "Moscow Rules: What Drives Russia to Confront the West" examine the history of Russia's national identity and how the U.S. fundamentally misunderstands Russia's view of itself in conflict with the West. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2Jsi99B Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.  

The Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States recently released its recommendations, calling for a new strategy to prevent violent extremism from developing in fragile states. Brookings Senior Fellow George Ingram and President of the U.S. Institute of Peace Nancy Lindborg explain why the U.S. needs to change its priorities from defeating terrorists militarily and focus on addressing the economic, social, and political weaknesses in fragile states which lead to the rise of extremist groups. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2TgxOxk  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this episode, David M. Rubenstein Fellows Andre Perry and Jenny Schuetz examine past policies and current attitudes that have devalued homes and business in majority-black neighborhoods and the opportunities to be gained by building on the assets in majority-black places. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2IRBHnQ  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

In this episode, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, founder of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership and distinguished fellow with the Center for Universal Education (CUE), and CUE Fellow Christina Kwauk discuss the current state of gender equality in leadership roles, the pipeline from quality education for girls to increased opportunities for women in leadership, and the expanding the evidence on what works to challenge gender stereotypes.  Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2EMcxDf  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Tim Madden for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this episode, Todd Stern, senior fellow and former special envoy for climate change in the Obama administration, and David Victor, co-chair of the Cross-Brookings Initiative on Energy and Climate, discuss the key issues at stake at the COP 24 negotiations in Poland, the absence of U.S. federal leadership on climate, and the state of U.S.-China cooperation on climate and energy priorities. Show notes: https://brook.gs/2Euizt5  Hosted by Adrianna Pita. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.