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.