For the first time in decades, the U.S. immigrant population is declining — and with it, the country's long-held assumption of steady population growth. Bill King joins the podcast to discuss how demographic trends and President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration policies are shaping the nation’s future labor force, economy, and identity, as well the importance of rational immigration policy for dealing with the challenges of global depopulation. This conversation was recorded on Oct. 13, 2025. Featured guest: Bill King, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/bill-king  Mentioned in this episode: Bill King, Depopulation: Our New Demographic Reality (Stoney Creek Publishing, forthcoming). You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

The global humanitarian aid system is facing an existential crisis. Despite more than 300 million people in need of urgent aid in 2025 — nearly four times the number from just a decade ago — countries around the world have slashed aid budgets. The U.S. alone has cut nearly $8 billion in aid funding under President Donald Trump, in addition to his administration’s far-reaching dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Now, the sector must move quickly and strategically to survive and continue to respond to humanitarian emergencies around the world. Sonali Korde, a Baker Institute visiting fellow and former head of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, joined a live recording of the podcast to explore the current upheaval and possible avenues for systemic reform. This conversation was recorded on Oct. 9, 2025.  Featured guests: Sonali Korde, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/sonali-korde Mentioned in this episode: Sonali Korde, “Strengthening the Humanitarian Sector Brick by Brick,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, August 11, 2025. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

China Studies Program experts Steven Lewis and Brandon Zheng join guest host Michael Emerson to explore how governments and organizations around the world are leveraging digital platforms in increasingly savvy ways — from TikTok videos to anime mascots — to spread political messaging and shape public opinion. They draw on their recent research examining urban propaganda in China and the use of “cuteness” as a communication tool to illustrate how the global political landscape has transformed in the age of digital media. This conversation was recorded on Sept. 26, 2025.  Featured: Steven Lewis, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/steven-w-lewis  Brandon Zheng, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/steven-w-lewis Michael Emerson, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michael-o-emerson  Mentioned in this episode: Brandon Zheng, “The Conquest of Cute: Political Communication, Public Diplomacy, and Anime,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, September 4, 2025. Brandon Zheng and Steven W. Lewis, “Central Versus Local Propaganda Under Xi Jinping: An Introduction to Images in the China Urban Outdoor Propaganda Image Archive, 1998 to 2019,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, June 3, 2025. Thomas Frank, The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism (The University of Chicago Press, 1997). You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

What does the acceleration of artificial intelligence mean for higher education, from the admissions process to students’ academic and intellectual development? How can students learn to engage responsibly with AI, and what does it mean for the early graduate labor market? Baker Institute fellow and guest host Michael Emerson sat down with Rice University Provost Amy Dittmar, University of Houston Associate Provost Jeff Morgan, and Burke Nixon, a core lecturer in Rice’s writing and communication program, to discuss the advent of AI and its implications for colleges and universities. This conversation was recorded in front of a live studio audience on September 17, 2025.  Featured: Michael Emerson, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michael-o-emerson  Amy Dittmar, Ph.D., https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/amy-dittmar  Jeffrey Morgan, Ph.D., https://www.uh.edu/provost/about/office-of-the-provost-leadership/jeff-morgan/index.php  Burke Nixon, https://pwc.rice.edu/about-us/lecturers/burke-nixon  Mentioned in this episode: “Opinion: No, AI chatbots haven't killed the college essay. Here's why,” www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/ChatGPT-AI-technology-writing-obsolete-college-17680035.php Learn about future live recordings of the “Baker Briefing” podcast by subscribing to our “Events Digest” newsletter at https://www.bakerinstitute.org/newsletter. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

The Baker Institute’s Kirstin Matthews and Rekha Lakshmanan join the podcast to discuss recent policy developments under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again commission, plus the persistent — and dangerous — misinformation linking autism with vaccines. This conversation was recorded on Sept. 15, 2025.  Featured guests: Kirstin Matthews, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kirstin-rw-matthews Rekha Lakshmanan, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/rekha-lakshmanan You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Fellow for the Middle East Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar joins the podcast to discuss the geopolitical and diplomatic fallout from the 12-day Israel-Iran war. He explores Iran’s internal politics in the aftermath of the conflict, the future of its nuclear program, and the regional balance of power.   Featured: Mohammad Tabaar, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/mohammad-ayatollahi-tabaar Mentioned in this episode: Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, “The Islamic Republic’s New Lease on Life,” Foreign Affairs, July 8, 2025. This conversation was recorded on Sept. 5, 2025. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.  

Baker Institute Director David M. Satterfield sits down with Karina Zemel, lead producer of the “Baker Briefing” podcast, to discuss the challenges of communicating policy in a politically polarized era and the conversations ahead on Season 2 of the podcast.

We’re taking a short break as we gear up to launch Season 2 of the podcast next week. But we’re excited to share the latest episode of “The Two-Handed Economist,” a podcast from our Center for Tax and Budget Policy. On this episode, John Diamond explores three major economic developments from the past week, including a federal appeals ruling that struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and new jobs numbers that show an increasingly fragile labor market. John breaks down what all this means and how a reversal of Trump’s tariffs could help the Fed save the economy. This conversation was recorded on Sept. 3, 2025.  Clips used in this episode: “BREAKING: U.S. appeals court rules Trump's global tariffs are illegal,” NBC News, August 29, 2025. “‘US will be destroyed if…’” The Economic Times, September 1, 2025. “Trump ends tariff exemption for low-value packages,” CNN, August 29, 2025. “US July Jolts Report: Job openings fall by 176,000,” Bloomberg Television, September 3, 2025. Follow John Diamond on X (@jw_diamond) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the major budget bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last month, includes important changes to federal energy policy — among them, an earlier end to wind and solar tax credits than outlined in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and expanded support for nuclear and geothermal energy, as well as fossil fuels. Center for Energy Studies Senior Director Ken Medlock joined the podcast to discuss the bill’s implications for the clean energy landscape and the key role of energy markets in dictating the future success of decarbonization and broader efforts to tackle climate change. Featured: Ken Medlock, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kenneth-b-medlock-iii  This conversation was recorded on Aug. 6, 2025.  You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Texas Republicans are moving to redraw the state’s congressional district map and flip five House seats for the GOP — an unusual mid-decade redistricting effort that comes at the urging of President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. To block the map’s passage, Texas Democrats have fled the state, denying Republican state leaders the quorum needed to hold a vote. Political science fellow Mark P. Jones joined “Baker Briefing” to break down the political standoff and what’s at stake for electoral politics in Texas and nationwide. Featured: Mark P. Jones, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/mark-p-jones This conversation was recorded on Aug. 5, 2025.  A transcript of this episode is available here: http://bit.ly/47jPYD6  You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

One of the striking trends in American religion and politics over the past decade has been the extent to which Christians have rallied around President Donald Trump. Their support has been most pronounced among white evangelicals, but the president has gained electoral ground with nearly all Christian denominations since his first term.   Trump hasn’t just appealed to Christian voters through rhetoric. He’s also courted them through policy. Recent examples include a new task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” in the federal government and a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the vast budget package signed into law earlier this month, that strips Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. (The Hyde Amendment already prohibits federal funds from being used to cover abortions in nearly all cases.)   Seven months into Trump’s second term, how do his policies measure up for his Christian base? Michael Emerson, director of the Baker Institute Religion and Public Program, joined the podcast to help unpack how Christian support affects Trump’s policy agenda — and vice versa.   Mentioned in this episode: The Godless Crusade: Religion, Populism, and Right-Wing Identity Politics in the West by Tobias Cremer “My beautiful ‘practicing’ Christians: As churchgoers’ numbers shrink, their social views grow more similar” by Michael Emerson This conversation was recorded on July 24, 2025. Access a transcript of this episode. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

As Harris County judge, Ed Emmett led the emergency response to weather disasters in the Houston region for nearly 12 years. Bill King is the former mayor of Kemah, Texas, and served on two Texas commissions studying the aftermath of deadly Hurricanes Rita and Ike.   They draw on their experience in disaster mitigation and response and offer reflections on the devastating Texas Hill Country floods, the second deadliest flood event in state history, as a special legislative session begins in Austin and lawmakers put forth proposals for strengthening weather communications and warning systems.   Featured guests: Ed Emmett, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/edward-m-emmett Bill King, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/bill-king This conversation was recorded on July 17, 2025. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/4o2pNqx  You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

What is Christian nationalism, and why is it having a moment in U.S. politics? And what does it mean for democracy in our increasingly diverse and pluralistic society?   The ideology’s influence hasn’t faded with the dawn of the second Donald Trump administration, and it’s worth returning to this episode, originally released in October 2024, in which our Religion and Public Policy Program experts Michael Emerson and David Brockman explain what Christian nationalism is (and isn’t), what its proponents want to accomplish, and what makes the current iteration of the movement different from what we’ve previously seen in U.S. history.   The conversation is a primer for understanding related developments in U.S. and state-level politics today (which we'll explore in future episodes), including recent policy actions by the Trump administration and new public education measures in Texas.   Among these: the state’s adoption of a controversial “Bible-infused” reading and language arts curriculum for K-5 students, which Brockman reviews in a new report out today from the Baker Institute.   Featured guests: David Brockman, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/david-r-brockman  Michael Emerson, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michael-o-emerson Mentioned: David Brockman, “Texas’ ‘Bible-Infused’ Public School Curriculum Raises Church–State Questions” David French, “What Is Christian Nationalism, Exactly?”   A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/46GyWig You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

John Diamond, director of our Center for Tax and Budget Policy and host of “The Two-Handed Economist,” analyzed the macroeconomic impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — the sprawling tax-and-spending package now signed into law by President Donald Trump — using the Diamond-Zodrow model of the U.S. economy. The results? The package could modestly boost GDP — but the long-term benefits are limited. It will drastically increase the debt-to-GDP ratio, leading to a crowd-out of private capital and a decline in investment over time. Hear Diamond lay out the good, the bad, and the ugly in the legislation on the podcast with Baker Institute director David Satterfield. Featured: John Diamond, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/john-w-diamond   Mentioned in this episode:   John Diamond, “Macroeconomic Effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act” Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, “The Meh Tax Bill That Has To Pass” James Baker III and John Diamond, “DOGE Won’t Be Enough to Get the Federal Debt Under Control”   This conversation was recorded on July 2, 2025.  A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/46s24cY   You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

The Middle East has undergone major shifts over the past 18 months, not least the Israel-Iran war that lasted for 12 days earlier this month and saw Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. A conversation with former diplomats Daniel Kurtzer and Aaron David Miller this past May illustrates the political dynamics shaping the future of power in the region, Israel’s war in Gaza, and the evolving U.S.-Israel relationship.   This conversation was recorded at a Baker Institute event on May 15, 2025.   Featured guests: Former Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, S. Daniel Abraham Professor of Middle East Policy Studies, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, https://spia.princeton.edu/faculty/dkurtzer Aaron David Miller, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, https://carnegieendowment.org/people/aaron-david-miller?lang=en  Learn about future events and live recordings of the “Baker Briefing” podcast by subscribing to our “Events Digest” newsletter: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/newsletter A transcript of this episode is available here: http://bit.ly/3I59qZR  You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

The U.S. is currently hosting the FIFA Men’s Club World Cup, an international competition between soccer club teams and the prelude to the larger and more widely anticipated FIFA Men’s World Cup hosted next summer across 16 North American cities. (The latter tournament is played between countries, instead of clubs.)   Fellow Kristian Coates Ulrichsen explains why these competitions and other global sports tournaments aren’t just entertainment, but a space where politics, economics, and diplomacy increasingly intersect, with a look in particular at the case of Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.   Coates Ulrichsen is the author of the forthcoming book “Kingdom of Football: Saudi Arabia and the Remaking of World Soccer,” which will be published by Hurst on Aug. 21. The book goes beyond the popular term “sportswashing” to explore how and why Saudi Arabia burst onto the international soccer stage in 2023 and won the rights to host the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2034.   Featured: Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kristian-coates-ulrichsen X: https://x.com/Dr_Ulrichsen  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristianulrichsen/  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kristianulrichsen.bsky.social   Mentioned in this episode: Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Kingdom of Football: Saudi Arabia and the Remaking of World Soccer (Hurst, 2025), https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/kingdom-of-football/ (forthcoming).   This conversation was recorded on June 3, 2025. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

This is the second episode in a two-part conversation on the challenges facing Mexico domestically and in its relationship with the United States.   Tony Payan, director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico, joins “Baker Briefing” to examine the host of issues facing the U.S.-Mexico relationship under Presidents Donald Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum. His conversation with David Satterfield covers tariffs and the future of the North American trade agreement, Trump’s executive order designating cartels as terrorists — which has led to U.S. visa restrictions for some Mexican politicians — and the brewing water crisis facing Sheinbaum as drought at the border persists.   Featured: Tony Payan, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan Follow Tony on X: https://x.com/PayanTony  Follow Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-payan-373bb870/   This conversation was recorded on May 14, 2025. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/3ZVKOIX  You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

This is the first episode in a two-part conversation on the challenges facing Mexico domestically and in its relationship with the United States.   Mexico held its first judicial elections on June 1, following last year’s sweeping overhaul of the judiciary. Center for the U.S. and Mexico director Tony Payan joins “Baker Briefing” to discuss the implications of the reforms and other domestic challenges facing President Claudia Sheinbaum as she carries forward the political project of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — including Mexico’s complex public safety landscape and mounting public debt.   Featured:   Tony Payan, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan  Follow Tony on X: https://x.com/PayanTony  Follow Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-payan-373bb870/  This conversation was recorded on May 14, 2025. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/445QmTK  You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Introducing “Texas Briefing,” a new podcast that brings expert insights into the challenges shaping life in the Lone Star State. Institute scholars and their guests will untangle issues in health, the economy, climate resilience, and more to understand how policy matters are impacting communities, from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast.   In our first series, senior health policy fellow Elena Marks explores issues in reproductive health — including new abortion legislation, teen access to contraception, and the impact of the abortion ban on the state’s OB-GYN workforce pipeline — with guests Eleanor Klibanoff of The Texas Tribune, Kari White of Resound Research for Reproductive Health, and Manatt Health’s Alex Morin.   Listen to the first two episodes in the series now, wherever you get your podcasts.   Learn more on our website: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/texas-briefing  You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Drs. Sandra McKay and Eric Fleegler, both experts in the Baker Institute Firearm Injury Prevention and Safety Program, joined “Baker Briefing” to discuss the worsening gun injury epidemic ahead of our fourth annual firearm injury prevention conference on June 6.    They discussed areas of consensus among firearm-owners and non-owners alike, including child access prevention laws and age purchasing regulations, and prospects for commonsense gun legislation at the Texas and national levels.   Featured guests: Sandra McKay, M.D., FAAP, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/sandra-mckay  Eric Fleegler, M.D., MPH, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/eric-fleegler    Mentioned in this episode: Christopher F. Kulesza et al., “The State of Student Mental Health in Houston Schools,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, May 13, 2025, https://doi.org/10.25613/6823-6W19. This conversation was recorded on May 20, 2025. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/3SnjEXs  You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.