The Surprising Issue Dividing Senate Dems Right Now — The New Republic reports that Jeff Colgan estimates households paid an average of $826 more on gas since the war on Iran began than w/o it. https://newrepublic.com/post/215587/college-sports-antitrust-coons

The Surprising Issue Dividing Senate Dems Right Now

Beneath headlines of surging gas prices and AI dangers, a new bill is exposing major disagreements on antitrust, racial equity, and more.

newrepublic.com

In Webull, Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan said the Federal Reserve must eventually raise rates, warning that delay will only make inflation more stubborn and harder to fix. https://ow.ly/KUQn50ZPE3o

Could mystery Shanghai vessel be a mothership for China’s underwater drones? — Lyle Goldstein tells South China Morning Post that an analyst's theory of a submarine-drone mothership taking shape at a Shanghai shipyard is "quite plausible." https://ow.ly/WCat50ZPaSZ

Could mystery Shanghai vessel be a mothership for China’s underwater drones?

Satellite images show an unusual craft under construction that analysts say may be designed to deploy very large uncrewed submarines.

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‘None of that is true:’ AI experts point out the flaws in Trump’s understanding of how AI works — Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a professor of data science and computer science, offered commentary in this HuffPost article. https://ow.ly/jpAs50ZOOf9

'None Of That Is True:' AI Experts Point Out The Flaws In Trump's Understanding Of How AI Works

Donald Trump says smart leadership will fix everything. Experts pinpoint several things that are misguided about that statement.

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Watson School Dean John N. Friedman will deliver the keynote address at Boston PIC’s annual convening on Oct. 27, bringing together leaders from education, business, government and the community to discuss workforce development and economic opportunity. Learn more: https://ow.ly/jPf750ZJukS

In Boston Globe Opinion, Stephen Kinzer argues that Iran's historical resilience, religious traditions, and fraught relationship with the U.S. make it far better equipped to withstand American pressure than the Trump administration expected. https://ow.ly/BJIk50ZOtl6

Trump was ‘shocked’ that Iran fought back. He shouldn’t have been. - The Boston Globe

A deep history of Persian resistance presaged the pushback.

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US Marine Stand-In Forces in the Pacific worry China, report details — Lyle Goldstein tells Military Times a Chinese military article shows Beijing's concern that US drone and small-unit strategies could threaten its submarines & undersea operations near its home waters. https://ow.ly/IHYP50ZOhBJ

US Marine Stand-In Forces in the Pacific worry China, report details

The Marine Corps' plan to reorganize for small-unit expeditionary warfare has sparked concern among some Chinese naval officers, a recent report details.

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New #RhodesCenter #podcast: The ties that bind, and the ties that blind: Central bankers in moments of crisis — Mark Blyth talks w/ Aditi Sahasrabuddhe about her book on how relationships among central bankers helped avert global financial collapse from the 1920s to 2008. https://ow.ly/Xxhy50ZOJ1p

The ties that bind, and the ties that blind: Central bankers in moments of crisis

Quickly and easily listen to The Rhodes Center Podcast with Mark Blyth for free!

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Watson School's new Africa Initiative director, Wilmot James, wants the program to look ahead, focusing on Africa's demographic strengths, critical minerals, and agricultural potential. Read the full Q&A: https://ow.ly/MA6V50ZNvO9

California prison towns grasp for new jobs after closures: ‘No one is coming to save us’ — John “Renegade Scholar & Teacher” Eason tells the Los Angeles Times a prison town's fortunes hinge more on when a prison was built than where. https://ow.ly/b4rt50ZO2FV

This fall, students will learn from five practitioners with firsthand experience in the issues they teach: David N. Cicilline, Iván Duque Deborah Gordon Jaykumar Menon and David Rohde are leading study groups on antitrust, leadership, climate, human rights and democracy. https://ow.ly/untZ50ZNvBg

Seeking a New Normal on the Korean Peninsula — @lylegoldstein wrote in @RCDefense that the U.S. should reduce troop levels in South Korea while maintaining a narrower alliance focused on deterring North Korean nuclear first use. https://ow.ly/m6Ej50ZNnAZ

How President Donald Trump’s summit with China’s Xi Jinping can yield dividends — In Chicago Tribune, Lyle Goldstein writes that Trump should build on the "constructive stability" framework established with China at their prior summit. https://ow.ly/2vJO50ZNqkt

Lyle Goldstein: How President Donald Trump’s summit with China’s Xi Jinping can yield dividends

Relations with China are somewhat of a bright spot in an otherwise bleak foreign policy landscape.

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The Watson School welcomes new leadership: Bryce Steinberg (MPA), Andrew Schrank (Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Programs), Nicole Pangborn (Undergraduate Studies), @danybahar.bsky.social (online MPP), Wilmot James (Africa Initiative), and Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan (Rhodes Center). https://ow.ly/o2mK50ZNpyJ

The Watson School welcomes new leadership in its academic programming and topic-focused centers as the school grows

On July 1, 2026, the Watson School appointed three new leaders in academic programming and welcomed two new center directors.

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US coastguard sails into troubled waters with mission to counter China in Pacific — Lyle Goldstein told the South China Morning Post the US-Iran war has strained the Navy's surface forces, pushing the Pentagon to offload missions to the Coast Guard. https://ow.ly/lqjG50ZMyx4

In an interview with "The Business" ON RTÉ's Radio 1, Mark Blyth discussed President Trump's recent visit to Ireland. https://ow.ly/lICn50ZNlTw

President Trump's Visit Panel Part One

Joining Richard to discuss President Donald Trump's visit are: Suzanne Lynch, Brussels Bureau Chief of Bloomberg, Graham Finlay, Lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations in UCD, and Mark Blyth, William R. Rhodes Professor of International and Public Affairs at Brown University. 

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US Navy plans compact Silent Anvil torpedo as China’s submarine fleet surges — Lyle Goldstein told the South China Morning Post that spreading the anti-submarine mission across more platforms could be valuable, given the limited number of specialized aircraft like the P-8. https://ow.ly/M9X950ZMya1

US Navy plans compact Silent Anvil torpedo as China’s submarine fleet surges

The weapon is expected to be air-launched and suitable for use across a range of platforms.

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In Mother Jones, Climate Solutions Lab director Jeff Colgan calls the US-Venezuela oil deal "petro-imperialism" and a direct seizure of another country's resources under threat of force. https://ow.ly/Iy2P50ZLTca

Trump's Venezuela deal helps his rich friends—and that's it

Some CEOs will make a fast buck. Gas prices won't change.

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Rhode Island’s ‘Taylor Swift tax’ on vacation homes aims to boost affordable housing — John Friedman told The Christian Science Monitor the tax won't fix the housing crisis, and tax credits "do not substantially increase" affordable housing supply. https://ow.ly/UMRK50ZLT1s

Rhode Island’s ‘Taylor Swift tax’ on vacation homes aims to boost affordable housing

A new tax on vacation homes in Rhode Island targets pricey beach properties, such as the one owned by pop star Taylor Swift. At stake is whether the effor…

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Americans are footing a $100 billion energy bill from the Iran war — CNN cites research from Climate Solutions Lab finding the Iran war has cost U.S. consumers an extra $100.9 billion in gasoline and diesel expenses since late February, or about $770 per household. https://ow.ly/f4Ic50ZLSMO

Americans are footing a $100 billion energy bill from the Iran war | CNN Business

The Iran war has saddled Americans with a massive energy bill that continues to mount as the conflict drags on.

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Dawn Brancati's new book examines whether authoritarian regimes that leave citizens uncertain about the rules are more effective at deterring dissent than those that clearly state them. Learn more: https://ow.ly/C5ig50ZLCJY https://ow.ly/VcP350ZLCJZ

Fuzzy Authoritarian Rule: How Uncertainty Deters Dissent

A new book co-authored by Dawn Brancati reveals why authoritarian regimes that leave citizens guessing about the rules may be more effective at silencing dissent than those that spell them out.

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WATCH LIVE: What Has Happened to Indian Democracy? Yogendra Yadav, Ashutosh Varshney, and Yamini Aiyar discussing the current state of Indian democracy, its challenges, and its future, moderated by Patrick Heller. https://ow.ly/vv6v50ZIqeN

What Has Happened to Indian Democracy?

Join Yogendra Yadav, Ashutosh Varshney, and Yamini Aiyar for a panel discussion on the current state of Indian democracy, its challenges, and its future, mod...

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Allies into foes. Foes into allies. What's behind Trump's world order assault?— In USA Today Lyle Goldstein said Trump's skepticism toward alliances is pushing the world toward a "complex multipolarity" rather than a single new order. https://ow.ly/Tgie50ZKVwb

Allies into foes. Foes into allies. What's behind Trump's world order assault?

President Trump's transactional foreign policy is challenging traditional alliances and global power dynamics, for good and ill. Where does it lead?

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This fall, the Watson School's Senior Fellows program brings four new leading policy practitioners to Brown University to bridge classroom learning with real-world experience. Welcome Gina Raimondo, Iván Duque, David Rohde, and Jaykumar Menon. https://ow.ly/CAaI50ZLWnE

Under Bhagwat too, Hindutva has a two-pronged objective—Hindu supremacy, Muslim subordination — In The Print, Ashutosh Varshney writes that Hindu nationalism seeks Hindu supremacy through the subordination of Muslims rather than their expulsion or extermination. https://ow.ly/4ZTo50ZKXf7

Under Bhagwat too, Hindutva has a two-pronged objective—Hindu supremacy, Muslim subordination

Has Hindutva become moderate under Bhagwat? More specifically, does it accept Muslims as fellow Indians today, rather than seek their expulsion or extermination?

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Chinese Ship Takes Arctic Shortcut: Smart Business? Or a Political Flex? — Lyle Goldstein told The New York Times that expanded use of the Northern Sea Route will strengthen ties between China and Russia. https://ow.ly/knWy50ZKFcR

Chinese Ship Takes Arctic Shortcut: Smart Business? Or a Political Flex?

Melting ice is opening a trade route through the Arctic. China has begun the first regular service, part of its polar ambitions.

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Trending Globally #podcast: What’s next for Iran’s nuclear program? In part two of our two-part series, Reid Pauly examines the state and likely future of the program and what’s needed to put U.S.-Iran negotiations on a productive path. Watch the full conversation: https://ow.ly/kT9Q50ZISym

Army green lights first production drone-killer laser weapon — Lyle Goldstein told Stars and Stripes that China has spent more than two decades developing military laser technology and may be cooperating with Russia as both countries advance drone capabilities. https://ow.ly/esq450ZKF07

In a recent CNN article, Climate Solutions Lab research cites $97 billion in extra gas and diesel costs for Americans, or over $740 per household, since the Iran war began. https://ow.ly/2nmU50ZJxZ9

Labor Day gas has never been this expensive. Trump is scrambling for answers | CNN Business

Americans will likely face the highest Labor Day gas prices on record this holiday weekend. It’s another blow to a “drill, baby, drill” president who campaigned on affordable energy.

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Seven months in, the Iran War hinges on two critical issues: maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program. In part one of a two-part series, Lyle Goldstein discusses what’s at stake and what the U.S. should learn from this flashpoint. Watch now: https://ow.ly/gQU250ZISv7