Since its founding, the United States has significantly expanded its global influence and military power, especially in the 20th century. In this episode, host Katie Dunn Tenpas and guest Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, explore how the history of U.S. foreign and military policy has interacted with democracy at home and abroad, and assess the current state of democracy amid rising competition with Russia and China, trade tensions, and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

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Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Over the past two decades, civics education in the U.S. quietly faded into the background as schools shifted focus to STEM and reading—especially after the early 2000s, when the No Child Left Behind Act prioritized standardized testing in math and reading. Fast forward to 2025, when actions by the Trump administration aimed at dismantling the Department of Education have raised new issues around civil rights and preserving civics instruction. In this episode, host Katie Dunn Tenpas and guest Rachel Perera, a fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy, discuss how civics education goes hand-in-hand with creating an engaged citizenship. Perera argues that a strong public education system is necessary for a healthy, functioning democracy.

Transcript and show notes.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Presidents often get the credit and the blame for the U.S. economy largely because they implement policies that can have immediate and far-reaching effects. In our constitutional design, however, economic influence is shared: Congress holds the power of the purse, determining government spending and taxation, while the Federal Reserve controls interest rates and monetary policy. The economy itself is a complex, ever-evolving system that operates beyond the influence of any single administration. In this episode, host Katie Dunn Tenpas and economist Wendy Edelberg, a senior fellow in Economic Studies, look at President Trump’s latest actions—from across-the-board tariffs to aggressive downsizing of the federal workforce and programs—and examine whether new levels of uncertainty could have long-lasting economic consequences.

Transcript and show notes.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.